


Taming Hearts

by The_Intuitive_Special



Series: Growing Up Haddock [5]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Childhood, Dragon Riders, Dragons, F/M, parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-02-12
Packaged: 2018-05-19 21:32:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 58,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5981595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Intuitive_Special/pseuds/The_Intuitive_Special
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Growing Up Haddock Story 5: The Haddock twins are finally old enough to get their own dragons. Hiccup and Astrid are thrilled to help them in any way they can but time is cut short by the upcoming Thawfest games. Can the Haddocks represent their tribe as champions or will the Outcast newcomers dominate?</p><p>Only HTTYD and Riders/Defenders of Berk are canon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Once Upon a Time

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be honest and say this isn't my favorite story of the series but it's important for later so enjoy!

_This is Berk._

_Everyone here is completely different, from the kinds of dragons they fly to their preferences for tea. It's what makes life interesting around here._

_But if there's one thing almost everyone has in common, it's a love for competition. Life, in some ways, is a big competition so it's good to start it out learning about how to get ahead._

_The one thing people tend to neglect or forget is the person who always falls behind. The person who simply can't offer the right skills to have a hope of clawing their way to the top._

_But is there hope for that person? Well, with enough intelligence and cunning, anything is possible._

* * *

Fearless Finn Haddock seemed to have found another skill at which he excelled. At nearly ten years old, he was finally allowed to participate in some of the heavier, more strenuous manual labor and he found himself enjoying it immensely. Carrying logs back to the village for firewood, repairing roofs, and digging wells were all difficult jobs but Finn relished the challenges they presented. He would return home covered in sweat (and sometimes dirt) but feeling very accomplished.

This was why people thought it was odd for a boy that driven to be close friends with a man far too old to join him. But Finn and Benen, for nearly three years, had kindled a friendship that defied all logic. The elderly man was introspective, quiet, and calm. The boy was a natural leader; he could bark out orders and grown men would find themselves obeying until they realized that Finn wasn't their boss. A boy so forceful and a man so laid back didn't seem to be a good pair. But the oddest thing about the two of them was that, despite Finn's need for control, he hung onto Benen's every word and followed his advice to the letter. Benen never had to raise his voice or give orders, he could merely suggest something and, to Finn, his word was law.

The old man was a frequent visitor to the Haddocks' house, which was just outside the village and closer to the arena. Now that his friend's tenth birthday was rapidly approaching, he had been enlisted to help build a frame for the dragon pen that would very soon be necessary. Finn stuck around to help the man with his measurements. He didn't know the kind of dragon he would be getting but he did know that it would be big, because a chief's dragon has to be big. When he'd told Benen this fact, he chuckled and expanded the measurements to accommodate the boy's predictions.

A bright day in early summer found the pair smoothing out the dirt next to the Haddock house so that it was a good foundation. Benen measured wooden logs and handed them to Finn, who would saw them to the length they were supposed to be so that the pen would be proportional.

As he measured out the logs, he noticed the boy sawing them with a ferocity that certainly didn't match his demeanor. For a moment, the man stopped and watched the boy's movements. It almost looked like each log had deeply offended him. His thick eyebrows were furrowed, his face almost as red as his hair, and his freckles were sticking out like someone had painted them on with dirt.

"What's on your mind?" he asked in a gentle tone, his voice barely audible over the racket Finn was making.

Finn looked up at him, wiping his brow with the back of an equally freckled arm. "Nothing."

"Well then why are you overexerting yourself? You're going to be worn out well before all the work is done." Benen sat down on the ground and crossed his fingers in his lap, fixing a serene gaze upon the frazzled boy.

"I'm just... tired." Finn admitted, picking up the saw and attempting to distract himself with the noise.

"Tired... you don't look tired, Finn." Benen breathed a laugh and patted the ground in front of him. "Sit down, take a break."

"I don't want to take a break."

"Hard work is essential but so are the moments in between. Don't wear yourself out. It's not healthy." Benen smiled as the boy put down the saw and sat in front of his friend. "So what's _really_ on your mind?"

Finn looked down at his hands. "It's not... it's not important. I'm okay."

"In my experience," Benen said, fixing a light blue gaze on the boy's forehead, "having to tell someone you're okay usually means that you're not. Otherwise they wouldn't have to ask."

Finn sighed deeply. "I had the dream again."

"Which one?" Benen asked amiably, his eyes never wavering for a second.

"Ratri was hitting me with his cane. And I was begging him not to." the boy's face turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. "I hate it."

"Yes... that _is_ a bad dream." Benen placed a hand on the boy's knee. "But you mustn't let it control you while you're awake."

"Do _you_ ever have nightmares?" Finn asked boldly.

"Everyone has nightmares. As for myself... not so much about Ratri. I got used to his treatment, found ways to avoid being beaten, and kept to myself on the rare breaks I got." Benen sighed. "But I do have dreams that make me... sad."

"Sad?"

"Of my home. Of Aida. People I once knew." Finn's face fell but Benen's lips turned upward into another smile. "Oh, don't feel sorry for me. I may have lost those I love but I have gained much more. And have learned, through my hardships, to appreciate all that I have been given. I am a lucky man indeed."

Finn shook his head. "I'm sorry I'm telling you about stuff this stupid. I mean, you lost everything. And I hate these dreams but... I still have everyone I love. Well, everyone but Poppy." he smiled. "You would've liked him."

"I'm sure. I've heard so many stories." Benen fixed his gaze on Finn again. "But my problems aside, I can tell that this dream is upsetting you more than the others. Why?"

Finn bit his lip for a second before letting out a frustrated growl. "Because I stopped having them! I thought it was over... and that hard work would make them stop. But _nothing_ does."

"I'm very sorry." Benen said, giving Finn the most sympathetic of gazes. "But I can promise you that it will get better. Things like this take time. And I assure you that your hard work will help. You're very industrious. Don't lose that."

"I completely agree!" came a voice from just above their heads.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was standing above them, amused at the startled expressions on their faces. They had, apparently, been so absorbed in their conversation that they hadn't noticed. This was quite a feat considering the thunk of the prosthetic that always signaled Finn's father's arrival. Finn immediately looked away when Hiccup looked at him, praying that he hadn't overheard anything other than Benen's statement.

"Well I see you've been busy." Hiccup added, eyeing the logs piled nearby. "But you really shouldn't be building anything until the dragons are here. You never know, you might get a Gronckle."

"I will _never_ get a Gronckle. They're too cuddly." Finn vehemently shook his head.

"Don't rule them out." Benen said serenely. "Mine is a very loyal friend."

"There, you see?" Hiccup gestured to Benen. "You could follow your mentor's example."

"His Gronckle is _old_! She's like... a hundred." Finn shrugged. "I want something big and powerful. Like a Monstrous Nightmare or something."

"Yes, I could see you with one. Though if you treat it like Snotlout does, you're just going to have a grumpy and extremely dangerous dragon on your hands." Hiccup chuckled.

"I won't treat _him_ like Snotlout does. I'm not getting a _girl_ dragon... nothing against yours." Finn hastily added to Benen.

"My dragon isn't everyone's first choice, I know." Benen smiled. "But keep your mind open. You may be surprised."

"Two more days. I can't wait!" Finn hopped to his feet, his bright blue eyes resting on the foundation where his pen would be built.

"Neither can I! I've been looking forward to this moment since... since you guys _existed_!" Hiccup chirped, grinning at his son's enthusiasm.

"Really? Since they existed?" Astrid Hofferson Haddock snorted, shaking her head as she walked to the little group. "I'm sure that was the first thing on your mind after I told you I was pregnant."

"Well no. The first thing on my mind was... basically panic. But then it was excitement about this moment!" Hiccup winked at her and laughed when she playfully smacked his shoulder.

"What does Adri want?" Astrid asked, her thoughts turning to their daughter. "I honestly can't quite place her with a specific breed."

"She says she doesn't know." Hiccup took his wife's hand, the physical contact proving to be rather soothing. "But I'm confident she'll find the perfect dragon."

"Me too." Astrid kissed her husband on the cheek. "Did you want me to go pick her up so she can take a look at the foundations and tell us what she wants for her pen? I think she's in the records building- sorry, _library_ ; I will never get used to calling it that."

Hiccup breathed a laugh. "I'll do it. But thanks for the offer." he squeezed her hand before letting it go. "Love you, Astrid."

"Love you too!" Astrid replied cheerfully, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Yuck." Finn stuck his tongue out.

"Mark my words, you will be doing plenty of kissing in no time at all." Hiccup chortled. "And you might even initiate it."

"Yeah right." Finn rolled his eyes as Hiccup, still laughing, made his way down the path.

* * *

Adrianna Miracle Haddock _loved_ reading. Probably more than she loved sweets. Well maybe not _quite_ that much. But she didn't give it much thought as she skipped to the records building, which she and Matilda, the new records keeper, insisted on calling the library. They thought that sounded like a much better name for a place full of books. She carried a small stack of books tied together with a string as she went, feeling very cheerful that morning. She had just finished a fascinating book and she couldn't wait to get her hands on another one.

"Ahh, Adrianna!" Matilda said (she _always_ called Adrianna by her full name). "Back so soon?"

"Oh yes!" Adrianna replied, handing Matilda her stack of books. "Have you found anything new?"

"Heavens, girl, you mustn't read everything so fast or you'll have nothing left!" Matilda laughed as she placed the books back on their proper shelves, the bangles on her wrist jangling. "How do your parents feel about all this reading?"

"Daddy likes me to read to him. Mom says she does too but she always gets distracted." Adrianna shrugged. "It's okay. I like reading quietly better. I imagine what happens better that way."

"A good author will always make you feel like you're standing there and watching everything happen." Matilda smiled at the girl after placing the last book on the shelf. "And, uhh... do you tell your parents lots of stories like you do with me?" Matilda's smile widened as her excitement practically radiated off of her body. "I _love_ your stories, Adrianna! And that's not a hint, by the way. If you happened to have a story you wanted to tell me, I would be very happy to listen."

Adrianna opened her mouth to reply when the door to the library opened, revealing her father. He smiled at his daughter as he entered.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked, noting Matilda's slightly disappointed expression.

"Well, she was just about to tell me a story." Matilda said, her eyes wide and silently pleading with Hiccup to allow the girl to stay.

"Well I don't have to tell you one right now..." Adrianna looked down at her boots, shuffling her feet a bit. "If daddy needs me to come home."

"Oh no, I have time." Hiccup felt almost as excited as Matilda; Adrianna had been a bit shy about telling him and Astrid her own stories but this seemed like the perfect opportunity to sit in on one.

Adrianna looked up at him and then at Matilda, who was nearly shaking with excitement. She took a deep breath. "Once upon a time-"

Matilda let out an excited squeal and immediately scooted a child sized table into the center of the room. Adrianna smiled and got on top of it, waiting patiently for Matilda and Hiccup to sit down on the chairs adjacent to it.

"Once upon a time, the two greatest performers in the world: an escapologist, who could escape from any lock that was ever invented..."

Hiccup's heart leaped into his throat. _Escapologist?_ Since Adrianna's bizarre reaction to the word years ago, he hadn't heard it from her mouth or anyone else's. But she stared at him pointedly... as if this story was one she wanted him to hear.

"...and an acrobat, who was so skilled it seemed she could actually fly, fell in love and got married." the girl clasped her hands in front of her face. "They performed some of the most incredible feats together anyone has ever seen. And people would come from miles around: kings! queens! celebrities! and spacemen!" she pointed to the ceiling with the last word.

Hiccup held back a laugh. Only last week, Adrianna had borrowed a very strange book about a traveling man from another planet and the two of them had been so fascinated with it, they read it to each other nonstop throughout the day. Astrid and Finn had scoffed at it, calling the story ridiculous and the idea of men from space absurd.

"Not just to see their skill, but also to see their love for each other, which was so deep that it was said that Gronckles would purr as they passed them, and Monstrous Nightmares would weep with joy. They moved into a beautiful old house at the edge of town, and in the evenings, they would walk and take the air. And each night, the children of the town would wait in anticipation, hoping for a glimpse of the shiny white scarf that the acrobat always wore, for then they knew that they had only to cry, "Tricks! Tricks!" and the great performers would instantly oblige with the most spectacular show, just for them." Adrianna looked pointedly at Matilda, her smile fading. "But although they loved each other, although they were famous and everyone loved them, they were sad."

Matilda put a hand to her heart and Hiccup bit his lip to keep himself from laughing in response to the woman's enthusiasm. Clearly this was the highlight of her week.

"'We have everything that the world has to offer,' said the wife, 'but we do not have the one thing in the world we want most. We do not have a child.'" the girl pulled out Mr. Gobcup, her rag doll with two replacement limbs that she liked to carry around as a good luck charm. "'Patience, my love,' the husband replied, 'Time is on our side. Even time loves us.'"

"Oh Adrianna!" Matilda breathed, sighing deeply.

Adrianna suddenly stepped down from the table and got down on her knees in front of Matilda, taking her hands and squeezing them. "But time is the one thing no one is master of. And as time passed, they grew quite old, and still they had no child. At night, they listened to the silence of their big, empty house, and they would imagine how beautiful it would be if it was filled with the sound of a child playing."

"Oh, Adrianna, this is very sad!" Matilda exclaimed, her smile replaced with a look of deep sadness.

Adrianna looked concerned. "Do you want me to stop?"

" _Don't you dare_!"

A glimmer of a smile passed over the girl before she turned a bit so that she could move her arms more freely. "Their sadness overwhelmed them, and drew them into ever more dangerous feats, as their work became the only place they could escape _the inescapable tragedy of their lives_! And so it was they decided to perform the most dangerous feat ever known to man! 'It is called,' said the husband, announcing the event to the tribal council, who had gathered to listen with bated breath." Adrianna stood up and raised an arm, as if she was announcing it to a large group of people rather than her father and friend. " _ **The Burning Woman Hurling Through the Air with Fireworms in her Hair Over Scauldrons and Spiky Objects Caught by the Man Locked in a Cage**_ and it is the most dangerous feat ever known to man!"

Matilda gasped dramatically and even Hiccup had to admit that he was quite interested in where this was leading.

"''It is our destiny.' said his wife, smiling sadly and slipping her hand into his. 'It is where the loneliness of life has led us.'" Adrianna stood, frozen to the spot, for a few seconds.

"Well... what happens next?" Matilda asked eagerly from her seat.

Adrianna remained frozen to the spot for a few seconds more. "I... I don't know. Not yet, anyway."

"What? But I... isn't there more? I mean... just a little bit more?" Matilda pleaded. She sighed when Adrianna gave her no answer. "Well... I suppose your father will want to be taking you home now."

"Yes... right, yes, I was going to... yes." Hiccup had nearly forgotten that he was standing in the room with them. His daughter definitely had a gift for storytelling. "Come on, Addie. We're going over to see if the measurements for your new dragons' pen are correct."

"Okay!" Adrianna said cheerfully, skipping over and taking her father's hand. "Goodbye, Ms. Matilda. I'll come by soon!"

As they walked hand in hand, Adrianna and Hiccup, true to form, were quiet preoccupied with each other. The father liked to give his daughter his undivided attention, partially because it was good for their relationship but mostly because just about everything she had to say fascinated him. As she grew older, Hiccup was pleased to see Adrianna developing into a very intelligent thinker. It served her well alongside "the biggest heart in the archipelago," which was something he truly believed that she had. Adrianna quite simply enjoyed talking to someone who liked storybooks almost as much as her. He had always enjoyed reading but his daughter's passion brought out his enthusiasm for made up stories. And as they walked together, they discussed their current favorite, which was the story of the traveling spaceman.

"Are you still talking about that?" Astrid asked as their voices carried over to the Haddock house.

"Oh yes!" Hiccup grinned at his wife. "Make fun of it all you want but Addie and I are praying that we find out there's a sequel."

"Thor help us all if there is. If I hear you shout out 'Geronimo!' while flying again, I will start pretending that you're not my husband." Astrid rolled her eyes and smirked at the pair.

"Oh come on, you wouldn't disown your own daughter, would you?" Hiccup put an arm around the girl, who giggled at yet another lighthearted spat between her parents.

"Don't tempt me." Astrid winked at Adrianna before turning to the empty space next to Toothless and Stormfly's pens. "Think that'll be big enough, Adri?"

"I think so. But we better not build anything quite yet. Maybe I'll take home a Typhoomerang." Adrianna skipped over to the flat land to inspect it some more.

Hiccup burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but the mental image of you trying to train a fully grown Typhoomerang is too funny." his laughter died down a bit when his daughter gave him a withering gaze. "Not that I don't think you can. But the size difference would make you quite the pair."

"I guess... I'll leave the big dragon training to Finn." Adrianna said just as Finn emerged from the house. "He always tells big men what to do."

"That's because I'm going to be chief so I have to know what they're s'posed to do." Finn announced proudly.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, buddy." Hiccup patted his son on the shoulder.

"Shouldn't I practice? You always say practice makes perfect." Finn said, grinning up at his father.

"Sure but you're almost ten. So be almost ten. Then, when you're 31, you can be me." Hiccup pushed Finn toward the foundations. "I think the ground still needs some patting down. Can't have the dragons sleeping on an incline, can we?"

As Finn hurried over to the ground to make sure it was completely flat, Hiccup's heart leaped in his chest. The twins' tenth birthday was so close, he could almost feel the excitement in the air. His efforts to train his children in all things dragons were about to pay off. Just in time for Thawfest too. That was an even scarier thought.

But as he watched his children attempt to pat down the soil some more, he found his worries ebb away. They treated their preparations with care and attention to detail. So wouldn't they be the same when it came to training? Hiccup sighed contentedly as he put an arm around his wife. His family was about to change dramatically but he couldn't wait.


	2. Dragon Day

The Haddock household had never been as frenzied as it was at dawn on the 25th of June, marking the twins' tenth birthday and officially opening them up to a lifetime of dragon training. Hiccup rose just before sunrise, his heart pounding in his ears and his spirits soaring. This was the day he would watch his children experience all the emotions he had felt when he had befriended Toothless. This was the day he would fly back to Berk with his children on their very own dragons rather than them riding with him or Astrid. This was the day his family would expand and he would begin building his own relationship with both dragons. After an agonizing decade, it was finally time. And he wasn't going to waste a second of it.

"Come on, Astrid!" he said cheerfully, shaking her warm body so that his wife would wake up. "It's time!"

"It'll be time when I can see two feet in front of me." Astrid moaned. Hiccup reached for a lamp. "With _natural_ light."

"Suit yourself. But the kids'll be just as eager as me the second I wake them up." Hiccup chirped, hopping out of bed and having to shake his head repeatedly to clear it.

"Don't you dare. Come on, Hiccup, just a few more minutes. You've waited this long." Astrid put her pillow over her head.

"Astrid!" Hiccup whined, skipping around the bed to look his wife in the eye in the dim lighting. "Please wake up? Please? Please, please _please_?"

"Wake the kids up first, then wake me up." Astrid groaned. "At least let me get used to being alert."

"And you call yourself a morning person." her husband scoffed, clunking around the room without muffling a single sound.

Hiccup flew open the door, completely forgetting that he was still in his pajamas, and skipped down the hallway, pounding on the twins' bedroom doors. He heard an irritated snort from downstairs and knew that he had risen before Toothless would have wanted. He grinned. It wasn't every day that _he_ was the one being annoying and waking up his sleepy friend.

"Wake up! It's dragon day!" Hiccup squealed. "Come on, get out of bed!"

Finn's door opened within seconds and the boy immediately pounded down the stairs to get breakfast over with. Adrianna was out of her room seconds later, her hair messy and still yawning as she followed her brother. Hiccup immediately ran into both rooms and grabbed the first clothes he saw, intending to take them downstairs so his children wouldn't have to run back upstairs to get dressed. He also took a hairbrush from Adrianna's nightstand and a piece of string. She would need to tie her hair back today.

By the time the kids were dressed and ready to go, Astrid finally came down the stairs. She took one look at the twins and immediately huffed a bit.

"You are not going out looking like that." she said flatly, taking in the sight of her daughter's bright red skirt and pink shirt. "You look ridiculous. Who dressed you this morning?" her eyes flew to Hiccup, who coughed sheepishly.

"I just wanted her to be ready..." he admitted. "I'll go get her something else to wear."

"No! No, you've done enough. I'll get something to go with that skirt." Astrid went back up the stairs, muttering something that distinctly sounded like, " _Men._ "

Within a few minutes, everyone was ready to go and the sun had finally risen enough to give the family a clear view of the ocean so that they would know where they were going. The flight to Dragon Island wasn't very far but they wanted to be absolutely sure they were going the right way.

"So... last flight on our dragons with us. Take your pick." Hiccup said to the twins as they emerged from the house.

Finn bit his lip as he surveyed Toothless and Stormfly. Stormfly was the only dragon he had ridden by himself (Hiccup and Astrid wanted to make sure he and Adrianna could handle flying alone before getting their own dragons) but he had really enjoyed his flights on her. Adrianna had ridden on Erick's bright green Nadder a few times but, as much as she loved him, she didn't like flying on him. Erick was the only person who knew how to stop Charger from attempting to show off and making a fool of himself. No one on Berk had ever seen a more confident or, for that matter, more _clumsy_ dragon. For this reason, Adrianna was keen to make her last flight a bit more special.

"Can I ride with you, daddy?" she asked politely.

Hiccup beamed at her. "Of course you can. Need any help getting into the saddle?"

Adrianna opened her mouth to say yes but immediately closed it. She was going to have to practice mounting dragons on her own. Toothless was quite patient with her, getting down a bit lower so that the little girl, who was a significant amount shorter than his rider, could have slightly easier access. She mounted smoothly, making her father smile proudly before getting on the saddle behind her. They watched as Finn and Astrid climbed atop Stormfly before two sets of wings outstretched and they were immediately airborne.

The cool ocean breeze blew their hair back as they flew hundreds of feet over the water. Adrianna felt a surge of excitement. With a dragon, she would be able to go _anywhere_. At least when they were trained, which would likely take a few years. The little spits of land that shot past the dragons were suddenly more captivating now that she knew she would soon have access to them. Well, she supposed, she could always _swim_ but that would take far too long. She let out an excited giggle and felt her father's grip around her waist tighten slightly, though she suspected this was out of habit. Hiccup was oddly paranoid when they flew sometimes. He seemed to have it in his head that his children would fall off Toothless unless he held on tightly. She wondered if he was as apprehensive about her flying solo as she knew she soon would be. She simply couldn't find it in herself to be nervous yet.

Finn, on the other hand, was feeling impatient. He knew that Toothless and Stormfly were the two fastest dragons on Berk but they couldn't be going fast enough. Not if they wanted to get to Dragon Island before noon. Just as he was about to ask his mother how much longer it would be before they arrived, the island appeared on the horizon. Finn's heart began to pound. His new best friend was down there! The dragon he would ride in Thawfest or just around Berk! This was it! It had always seemed like a dream that wouldn't truly happen but now that dragons were beginning to come into view, he knew that the day had finally come.

As the trained dragons descended, the Hiccup and Astrid looked around and realized the same thing at the same time: it was a lot bigger than they remembered. Dragons circled the island in the sky while some mulled about on the island, others getting into little tussles with each other while still others napped or watched said tussles with almost amused expressions. The Haddocks found a clearing in which to land and the moment the parents dismounted, they turned to face their children.

"All right, you two, do _not_ wander off and keep your voices down." Hiccup said, eyeing Finn in particular.

"Stick with us and we'll show you how to put dragons at ease. And trust me, you'll know which one will be yours." Astrid added. "Do you think you can handle that?"

The heads of both Haddock children bobbed up and down a few times before their parents helped them dismount. Finn was sorely tempted to scamper off and see if he could tame a gigantic dragon to show his parents that he didn't need their help but then again, his parents were the best dragon trainers in the archipelago so it was probably better for everyone for him to stay put and obey them. Adrianna had no similar temptation. She was happy to stay by her father's side in the presence of so many large, dangerous reptiles. Hiccup, sensing her trepidation, gently reached down and took her hand.

"Here's the funny thing about dragons," Hiccup said as he led his children into the woods, "usually, the dragon picks you. It may seem like the other way around but you have to let them come to you."

Several dragons watched them walk through, though thankfully none of them decided that the strange humans were a threat. Adrianna tightened her grip on her father's hand when a Gronckle came closer to sniff her.

"Easy does it, Addie." Hiccup said gently, stepping away from the dragon and his daughter so he could watch their interaction. "Let him come to you."

Adrianna looked up, her eyes wide with uncertainty and her fingers trembling. After a few seconds, she extended her arm, her hand outstretched, and shut her eyes. Hiccup's heart drummed against his ribs, his muscles ready to spring into action just in case the dragon posed a threat. Astrid and Finn stood back, watching as the Gronckle slowly crept up to Adrianna's hand... and placed his snout up against it. The girl's eyes flew open and a delighted smile brightened her features as she gently stroked the dragon, all fear seeming to evaporate into thin air. Hiccup felt like his heart was about to burst with pride. He watched Adrianna pat the dragon a few times before it snuffled and trotted away. The girl's face fell.

"It's okay, Addie." Hiccup took her hand again. "It takes a lot of loyalty for a dragon to want to come home with you. And he looked pretty old. I'm sure he wants to stay where he's comfortable. You're looking for a dragon who is old enough that it's calmed down but young enough that it isn't particularly attached to this place. One who's looking for a companion to join it on the adventures you're sure to have."

"So... like a teenager." Finn said helpfully. "Not too old to want to stay in the same place but not too young to always need to be watched?"

"Exactly. You're looking for a teenage dragon who can help you through _your_ teenage years. If only I weren't forbidding you two from getting any older." Astrid quipped.

"What?" Finn blurted out, flabbergasted. "No way; I'm going to be a man and you can't stop me!"

"If only we could." Hiccup shook his head. "Now look here." he pointed to a small flock of Terrible Terrors. "Finn, you could always just get a Terror. Great dragon for a future chief!"

Finn made a face but excitedly walked to the group of multicolored dragons. The family watched as they suddenly surrounded the boy, sniffing him curiously. Hiccup's hand slid out of Adrianna's so that he could get a closer look.

"Clearly they're okay with you skipping your bath last night." Astrid said with a small smile. "But that's not going to stop me from locking you in the washroom tonight."

" _Mom_!" Finn huffed.

"Listen to your mother. Addie took a bath last night and the dragons are-" Hiccup turned but his young daughter was no longer standing next to him. His heart constricted. "Addie?"

His eyes scanned the woods around them for several seconds before he spotted Adrianna. She was being suspended several feet in the air by the back of her shirt, which was clamped in the jaws of a purple and yellow Monstrous Nightmare. Hiccup bolted toward the retreating dragon, Astrid, Finn, Toothless, and Stormfly running after him as fast as they could.

"Addie!" Hiccup cried, finally standing under the dragon and opening his arms just under his little girl. "It's okay, I've got you!"

"I'm fine, daddy!" Adrianna giggled from above. "I think she likes my flower!"

Hiccup, Astrid, and Finn stared upward at the smallest Haddock as she reached behind her head to stroke the Nightmare's snout. The dragon made a happy sort of groan at this affection, slowly lowering her to the ground so that the bigger humans could have their very fragrant young back. Hiccup sighed with relief but was slightly surprised when the little girl immediately turned around patted the dragon's snout. The Monstrous Nightmare nuzzled the side of her head, sniffing the purple lily Adrianna had placed in her hair.

"She likes me!" Adrianna squealed delightedly. The dragon made a contented sounding growl. "Can I take her home?"

Of all the dragon breeds Hiccup and Astrid had seen on the island or on Berk, this wouldn't have even made their list of possible dragons for their little daughter. But as the dragon and the girl immediately bonded, they knew they had found the one.

"Wait a minute!" Finn pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Anna gets a Monstrous Nightmare? That's _way_ too big for her!"

"It's not always about which breed makes the most sense, buddy." Hiccup put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Every dragon is different. And we'll find yours soon, I know it."

"Yeah... but what if I get one too? I don't want to fly the same kind of dragon as my sister!" Finn sighed with disappointment.

"And you probably won't. You two are as different as night and day." Astrid said before slowly walking up to her daughter the new dragon.

"I think I'm going to call her Lily because she liked my lily." Adrianna stared into her new dragon's eyes and both pairs seemed to light up with excitement. "What do you think, Lily? Is that a good name for you?"

Lily licked Adrianna's cheek, making her giggle again. Toothless, who had been eyeing the pair suspiciously, finally gurgled and approached the Nightmare. The dragons rumbled at each other for a few seconds before they seemed to have come to an understanding. Toothless looked a lot more comfortable with Lily around, for which everyone was quite thankful.

The Monstrous Nightmare followed her girl as she walked with her family through more of the woods. Finn became rather annoyed with the large presence walking just behind him and nuzzling his sister on occasion. Weren't Monstrous Nightmares supposed to be fierce? This one was about as dangerous as a pillow. And speaking of nuzzling, Finn suddenly felt a snout pressing against his back. He whipped around and found himself face to face with a large blue Thunderdrum. A _familiar_ Thunderdrum.

"Thornado?"

The dragon growled happily and gently prodded Finn's chest. Hiccup walked up, his eyebrows rising to his bangs. His father's old dragon stared up at him, recognition evident in his eyes.

"Hey there." Hiccup said as he got on his knees in front of the dragon. "Long time, no see."

This was certainly true. After Stoick's funeral, his Thunderdrum had completely disappeared. His loyalty for his rider made a lot of people think that he had stuck around, especially since he had actually come back for his human when he was finished raising three Thunderdrum hatchlings, but months later, no one had seen him. Hiccup remembered how difficult it was to look out over Berk and not see his father sauntering through the village or flying over it but the loss of Thornado made it even more painful. It was yet another reminder of who Berk had lost. But as he looked into the yellow eyes of his old friend for the first time in a little over five years, it was like, for just a second, Stoick still lived.

"Hey, I guess it's been a while since you've seen the twins, hasn't it?" Hiccup continued after a few seconds. "This is Finn. Looks familiar, doesn't he?"

The Thunderdrum looked up and stared at the face of his rider's young's young. The boy had thick red hair like his rider, as well as the muscles and shape of his nose. And, more than anything, this boy _smelled_ like Stoick. Not that Stoick didn't bathe often but there was a scent Thornado had always associated with his rider and this boy had it in droves. Almost like he was a small Stoick... one that wouldn't die for a long, long time...

The Thunderdrum immediately nuzzled Finn's stomach and making little growling noises. Hiccup, Astrid, and Adrianna stared at this exchange with wide eyes: Finn patting his Poppy's dragon on the head and the affection the normally gruff dragon was displaying... it was like Thornado had _adopted_ Finn...

"You know, buddy," Hiccup said, turning to look at his son, "your Poppy always said that the Thunderdrum was the toughest dragon in the archipelago."

"Yeah but..." Finn turned his bright blue eyes away from the equally blue dragon and fixed them on his father. "Isn't he kind of... old?"

"Dragons live a lot longer than we do, Finn." Hiccup replied. "And he was pretty young when your Poppy started riding him. I'd say he's only twenty or so years old in dragon years."

"So he's older than... Lily." Finn grimaced at the femininity of the name he now had to use to refer to a dragon capable of setting herself on fire.

"Bigger too." Hiccup rubbed his son's upper back. "It's up to you. If you don't want those memories, we can find you another dragon. I'm sure Thornado wouldn't follow if you really didn't want him to."

Finn stared at his Poppy's dragon for a few seconds. Stoick had been his hero. A man who was big and tough but who always made time for him and taught him almost all he knew about fishing and hunting, tips he used even _now_... and here was a connection to him standing in front of him. The dragon Stoick had ridden for years, who had once played a large role in saving his life when he nearly tumbled off a cliff, the first dragon he had _ever_ ridden... opportunities like this didn't present themselves every day. He looked at his dragon and smiled.

"You want to go home?" he asked. The Thunderdrum nuzzled him again, this time with a much louder growl. "What does that mean?"

"I think it means yes!" Hiccup said excitedly. "Well, I never thought our kids would find their dragons in such a short period of time but then again, they are _our_ kids."

"They definitely are." Astrid looked between the twins' dragons, feeling very satisfied with their choices. Or, rather, their dragons' choices in riders. "So how exactly are they going to fly them back? We don't have saddles for them."

Hiccup looked at his wife, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Always doubting my ingenuity, I see." he reached into a bag strapped to Toothless and pulled out what appeared to be two saddles with very long straps. "I designed these to fit around the dragons, no matter the size, and keep the kids in place while they fly. See these buckles? This," he tugged on a strap, "goes over their legs and is connected to the saddle. The kids aren't tumbling off with these strapped over them!"

Astrid eyed the saddles critically. "Are you sure? Have you tested them?"

"I tested them on _myself_. They worked great. Of course they'll need some adjustments." he strolled over to Lily and started to put on the saddle. "This should be pretty simple, doesn't look so good but we can make saddles made specifically for them when we get back." he stepped back to admire his handiwork. "Well, it's certainly Addie proofed."

"Excuse me?" the girl said in a low voice, her eyebrows raised.

"Well judging by your track record on the ground, I figured you were a bit more likely to fall off your dragon the first few times you flew." Adrianna's face fell. "Just like I did, Addie. It happens. Frequently." his brows furrowed. "Maybe a little too frequently. Astrid, are we sure this is a good idea?"

"You are _not_ changing your mind, not after we're already here and the kids have already found their dragons." Astrid snatched the second saddle from his hands and began securing it to Thornado. "Gods, Hiccup, always putting in way too many buckles."

"Buckles keep things secure!"

"Yes, because you wouldn't want your flight suit to fall apart, now would you?" Astrid rolled her eyes at Hiccup's scowl.

"That was artistic liberty!" Hiccup retorted.

"I said it the first time you showed me and I'll say it again- it looks ridiculous." Astrid smirked as she secured the saddle to Thornado at last. "Righty then, Finn, hop on."

Finn immediately climbed atop Thornado's back. The Thunderdrum looked oddly comforted to have a rider again after five years of loneliness and such a long grieving period over his first rider. Finn wasn't Stoick but there was a part of him that was and so Thornado opted to hold tight to the little bit of his rider that remained.

Lily didn't know what this strange contraption was that her human's parent was placing on her neck (and she might have snapped at him if he wasn't gentle) but once Adrianna climbed onto the bizarre thing and settled into it, she brightened up. She really _did_ get to take this little young home! Well, a _new_ home. That thought excited her so much, she very nearly took off right away. But she stayed on the ground and allowed the male parent to fasten something around the girl's waist so that she wouldn't fall off. That was probably a good idea but Lily thought that if her fragrant human _did_ fall off, she'd dive after her.

Once all four Haddocks had mounted their dragons, Hiccup turned to the kids. "Okay, let's take it nice and slow. Fly behind us and listen for our instructions, okay? And if something goes wrong, do not hesitate to holler at us!"

"Okay." the twins chorused, leaning forward slightly in anticipation.

Hiccup turned to Astrid, his heart leaving his chest to pound in his throat. "Ready to do this?"

"Relax, Hiccup, they're fine." Astrid winked at him. "They'll be naturals. They take after us."

Hiccup and Astrid stared at each other for a few seconds longer before Hiccup finally nodded. "Okay you two, follow us! No tricks or stunts or... or falling off your dragons. Especially no falling off. That's a bit dangerous"

"No kidding." Astrid muttered with a smirk.

"You'll learn other stuff at the Academy so just enjoy the ride and, like I said, don't fall. Okay, I think we're ready." Hiccup leaned forward and gripped the metal bar connected to Toothless' saddle. "Let's go, bud."

Rather than take off, Toothless registered his rider's hesitation and stayed put. Finn growled irritably.

"Come on, dad! Let's go already!" he called from behind his parents.

Hiccup looked at his wife for a moment before finally taking off. Stormfly, Lily, and Thornado quickly followed, Stormfly flying alongside him and the twins' dragons flying behind.

Adrianna gasped as Dragon Island quickly grew smaller and smaller in her vision, almost like she had been shot out of a cannon. She almost expected to fall back down but Lily's warmth from beneath her and the strap over her lap reminded her that she was perfectly safe. She had never ridden by herself on a dragon whose saddle needed to be tied around the neck so she found it to be an odd sensation that she could almost reach down far enough to cross her feet.

Meanwhile, it had been half a lifetime since Finn had last ridden Thornado. The Thunderdrum was gentle with him, not going even close to full speed and keeping the flight as steady as possible. The boy wasn't sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, he was sitting atop his hero's dragon, one he had known since birth. On the other hand, riding Thornado made his heart feel a bit heavy. He missed Stoick more in these moments. As much as he adored Benen, there was no replacing his Poppy. At the same time, this felt like a chance to be close to him. And Finn was deeply thankful for it.

Hiccup looked back at the twins as they flew, his heart leaping as he realized just how naturally they seemed to be handling the flight. At one point, there was a gust of wind that might have thrown them off balance. Finn and Adrianna both leaned forward to keep themselves from being blown off. It was something he hadn't even told them to do and he was beginning to think they really did have natural instincts. He looked forward to teaching them as much as he knew and, hopefully, learning about bit more about them and their dragons in the process. As he watched them soar behind him, he felt odd as he considered the fact that he had played a part in making these little humans, thus enriching the lives of the village and now two very lucky dragons who had the privilege of seeing the Haddock twins grow up and mature alongside all of Berk. Had they _really_ come from him? A part of his brain couldn't believe it, it almost seemed to good to be true, but the logical part reminded him of just how uncomfortably similar to him they could be...

"Hiccup!" Astrid called quite suddenly.

"Hm?"

Hiccup turned his face forward just in time to be blinded by the stomach of a very startled and indignant Terrible Terror. His hands jerked around for a moment, before grabbing the poor dragon and removing it from his face. He ignored the uproarious laughter from his family as he let it go.

"Maybe you should watch where you're going, daddy." Adrianna said through her hiccups.

"One day, you will have kids of your own who will ride dragons hundreds of feet in the air completely unsupervised. Then maybe you'll understand why I keep looking back to make sure everything's going smoothly." Hiccup grumbled with a halfhearted smile.

"Or maybe you're a little too paranoid." Astrid supplied with a grin.

"You know what? Hush!" Hiccup snapped, narrowing his eyes and trying to stop his smile from widening.

Finn snorted. "Hey dad, watch this!" he straightened himself up, acting like he was planning to stand atop his new dragon.

Hiccup nearly lunged backward, causing Toothless to wobble in midair and make an irritated grunt. Finn burst out laughing and leaned forward again.

"You're paranoid, dad." he chortled.

"And you're _evil_." Hiccup grumbled as his family continued to laugh at him.

Even as they laughed, the Haddocks all felt excited as they entered into an epoch, so to speak, in their lives. Loyalty would be tested and friendships formed. The archipelago would open up for them as they grew accustomed to their new freedoms. The twins almost felt, though they knew they had a bit farther to go, like they had left their childhood behind. But as they flew toward their home, they knew that everything was about to change. And that it was up to them as to whether or not the change would be a good one.


	3. The Next Challenge

The first thing Erick Larson thought about when he woke up that morning was that his very best friend, Adrianna Haddock, would be getting her own dragon. She had been incredibly excited for him when he had gotten his a year and a half previously. It had been a very cold flight out to Dragon Island on Snoggletog Day but he had hardly noticed because he was far too preoccupied with Charger, who had greeted him by headbutting him and then carrying him off on his snout. Fortunately for Erick, Charger had finally stopped doing that but he did have a tendency to get overly excited and be far too exuberant when greeting strangers. No one had ever met a Deadly Nadder quite like him. And now he would finally get to meet the dragon his best friend had adopted.

The eleven-and-a-half year old boy hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed so that he could watch for the Haddocks on a cliff near the arena. It provided the best view of Berk and he wanted to be the first to spot them as they triumphantly flew in. Charger had hopped around like an overly excited Terrible Terror at the sight of his rider's excitement.

"Oy, settle down... I said _settle down_!" Erick shouted to his dragon, putting up his hands so that the Nadder wouldn't catch him off guard by doing exactly what his name suggested.

After a lot of excited squawking, Charger finally settled down and followed Erick through the village, occasionally prodding his boy forward with his snout. Gobber stopped what he was doing to watch the pair; he always found them quite amusing. He watched as an overly excited nudge in the back sent Erick flying forward into the dirt. Fortunately, the boy didn't fall on his face because the Nadder quickly caught his shirt in his mouth and pulled him back up.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" he called to them as Erick brushed himself off.

"Near the arena." Erick replied amiably.

"Ahh. Waiting for your special lady to introduce you to her new friend?" Gobber winked at him quite knowingly.

"Annie and I are just friends!" Erick retorted irritably.

"Yes, of course you are." Gobber chuckled to himself as the boy bolted off, a spring in his step that seemed impossible to hide.

Erick nearly flew without his dragon as he headed to the cliff. He passed a giggly group of girls with their recently acquired dragons and a large gathering of boys his age, all of whom seemed to be practicing axe throwing for the upcoming Thawfest games. Erick paid them no heed, even when they called out to him. He was going to lose Thawfest anyway so why bother wasting his valuable time throwing axes at trees and watching the other boys beat each other up for fun?

He was out of breath when he finally got to his favorite observation spot. Charger sat down behind him and allowed him to lean on his emerald green back as he dangled his feet over the edge. It was a hundred foot drop and Erick would have been far too frightened to sit down there without his dragon present. And now he could share this spot with Adrianna. At least... when she got there.

"What do you think, Charger?" he asked, turning his head to the side and looking at the back of his dragon's head. "Think we can out-race her?" The dragon cooed unconcernedly. Of _course_ they could. Erick grinned, his dimples becoming visible on his face. "Yeah, I thought so. Though you really need to work on your turns. Don't run me into any more boulders!" Erick rubbed his upper arm, wincing as he found the fresh bruise from the previous day. He rested his head against the warm scales. "Gods, you're comfortable. Maybe I should just sleep on you from now on." The dragon immediately turned his head so that he was glaring at his human. Erick's smile widened. "Oh don't give me that look! You hate bedtime! Maybe staying in the same spot all night so you don't throw me off will keep you from sleeping all morning."

As the dragon screeched irritably, Erick's teal eyes caught sight of four dragons becoming visible on the horizon. There was no way of knowing if they were the Haddocks' dragons flying triumphantly into Berk or if they happened to be four wild dragons but the boy's heart began to thump regardless. With the amount of time he spent with Adrianna, Erick was almost as excited as her to meet her dragon. He only hoped that it would like him as much as Charger liked Adrianna. He narrowed his eyes, wishing he hadn't left his spyglass at home in his haste. After a few seconds, he was certain that the two dragons in front were Toothless and Stormfly, meaning that the two in back (one blue and one purple) had to be Adrianna and Finn's dragons. Erick let out a laugh when he saw his friend atop the purple dragon.

"I knew she liked purple but ...wow!" he chortled to his dragon. "A purple dragon? Well at least we'll be able to tell which one is hers. And is that a _Nightmare_?" his jaw dropped when the dragon came closer. "It _is_!"

Charger had been preening and thus ignoring his rider when Erick had made this highly offensive comment about his fierceness. Otherwise he would have swiped Erick's feet out from under him and laughed when the usually coordinated boy landed on his tailbone. The boy continued to watch as Adrianna grew closer and closer... and then began to head not toward the village or the Haddock home but toward the water.

"Lily!" he heard her cry frantically. "What are you doing?"

Unsure if he should swoop in and help or watch the amusing events unfolding before his eyes, Erick tensed and took a few steps toward his dragon. He watched as Astrid and Finn flew to the village while Hiccup dived after Adrianna. But even Night Furies occasionally aren't fast enough.

SPLASH!

The dragon, still containing her rider, dived face first into the ocean. Fortunately for Adrianna, the Monstrous Nightmare did not assume that she was capable of underwater breathing so she surfaced seconds later, a coughing but giggling girl still atop her back.

"BAD DRAGON!" Hiccup yelled, his voice rather shaky. "Do not drown my daughter!"

Lily spat out a stream of water, smirking (could dragons smirk?) as Hiccup was now almost as wet as her rider. Erick watched on in amusement as Hiccup shouted a bit more before flying back to the land, his giggling daughter and her dragon following. Oh, this was going to be _fun_.

"What do you say, Charger? Want to make some new friends?" Erick smiled, turning to his dragon and patting him on the snout.

Charger, true to his name, immediately charged at the boy and headbutted his chest. Erick gasped in pain but, used to his dragon's antics, didn't react. He'd learned early on that Charger liked a dramatic reaction to his, well, _charging_. The rider quickly mounted the dragon and the two were airborne in a split second. As they flew over the village square, Erick caught sight of the large purple dragon called Lily licking her rider as if that would somehow dry her off faster. Adrianna's giggles and hiccups were easily audible even from well above the ground. As he touched down, he smiled fondly.

"Erick!" Adrianna squealed excitedly. "Look, I got my dragon!"

"I can see that." Erick dismounted and patted his dragon on the snout as they walked up. "Though I wouldn't have pegged you as the Monstrous Nightmare type."

"No... no, I guess not." Adrianna grinned at her dragon and fondly stroked its scales. "But apparently she's the Adrianna type."

"I don't know why we say our dragons are ours." Erick said, cautiously inching toward the massive purple dragon. "It almost feels like we belong to them." he stretched out a hand and let Lily sniff it.

"Easy, girl." Adrianna said in a gentle voice. "Lily, this is Erick. He's a friend."

Lily narrowed her eyes slightly. It almost looked like she was reading the boy's mind to make sure he truly _was_ a friend. After a few tense seconds, she relaxed and allowed Erick to approach and stroke her neck.

As this was going on, Finn hopped off of Thornado and looked around the crowd, expecting some of the older boys to rush through and immediately express their admiration at him getting a Thunderdrum. It wasn't that Thunderdrums were rare but few villagers bothered to try to train the rather independent beasts. It took a very patient and very creative dragon trainer to tame the Thunderdrum. Instead of a crowd of admirers, Finn's eyes met Benen's as he hopped off the dragon's back and the elderly man smiled as he sauntered over.

"Well it seems you've gotten your wish." Benen said as he gently reached out a hand and allowed Thornado to come to him. "You're certainly worthy of a future chief."

"Yeah... I think he knows that because he used to belong to a chief." Finn smiled fondly, his heart feeling slightly constricted again. "My Poppy."

"Did he?" Benen placed a hand on Finn's shoulder. "I'm sure you both miss him. Maybe having each other will make it a little easier."

"It already is." Finn stroked his dragon's snout but turned his face up toward his mentor. "But don't _you_ go anywhere."

Benen smiled and squeezed Finn's shoulder, allowing the dragon to continue to nuzzle his hand. He looked over at Adrianna and Erick, whose dragons were now making funny sounds at each other. Hiccup and Astrid were talking to a few of their friends about the new dragons, both practically glowing with pride. Benen liked to watch the boy's parents talk about him and Adrianna. Their faces would light up as they relayed stories and talked about what the twins were learning and doing in their spare time. Benen felt a little twinge in his heart. Being a parent was clearly more rewarding than anything.

And speaking of parents, Olaf Larson came wheeling through the crowd and stopped in front of Erick. He smiled fondly at Adrianna and her new dragon before turning to his son.

"It's about time you learned the fine art of saddle making." he said quite seriously but with a twinkle in his eyes. "And I can't think of anyone better to be my boy's guinea pig, so to speak."

"Guinea pig?" Adrianna raised an eyebrow at her friend's father.

"He means you're my test subject." Erick grinned excitedly. "Are you sure I'm ready to make my own saddle? I mean... I've only been an apprentice a few months."

"Horst says you're ready." Olaf shrugged. "Got to start somewhere, son. Of course, this all rides on you, Anna. I realize Erick's a bit inexperienced-"

"I'd love to see you make a saddle for Lily and me!" Adrianna reached over to take her friend's hand but withdrew it seconds later. Erick caught sight of this and his cheeks reddened for just a second before he led her and their dragons to the leather shop.

Horst awaited his apprentice's arrival, smiling at the chief's daughter as she strolled up alongside her friend. He was a bit surprised to see a Monstrous Nightmare following close behind her; he figured she'd be the Gronckle type. Erick's dimples were still visible on his face as he arrived at the leather shop and beckoned his friend and her dragon inside.

"Charger, stay." he said to his Nadder, who snorted irritably at him before plopping himself down outside the shop. There was only room for one dragon and Lily certainly lived up to the word monstrous. "So I have to start by measuring... right?"

Olaf wheeled in and parked himself near the wall to watch his youngest child's progress. He smiled when Horst confirmed Erick's guess. Measurements were vital to making sure a saddle was safe and it was a fact he himself had pounded into his son's head even before the boy began his apprenticeship.

Erick got out some measuring tape and gently wound it around Lily's neck. The Monstrous Nightmare was surprisingly docile and seemed unperturbed by the boy's bizarre behavior. Erick got out some scraps of parchment and scribbled down the measurements on it, careful not to get charcoal all over the back of his hand. Adrianna watched him with great interest. Yet again, she wished she was left handed like her father and her friend. It would be so interesting to do things differently from everyone else. Of course she did archery left handed but writing... now that would be something.

Erick looked up from his parchment and locked eyes with hers. His cheeks reddened again.

"So... I'm going to have to measure you for the stirrups." he looked down at her short legs and then back up to her face. "And your waist. You know... just so I can make it comfortable for you... if... if that's okay."

"Okay." Adrianna said cheerfully, standing straight so that Erick would be able to get an exact measurement.

The boy inched toward her, biting his lip and looking at her left leg. When he got to her, he gingerly sank to his knees and froze, suspending the measuring tape a foot away from the girl's leg. Olaf and Horst exchanged an amused glance at the boy's awkward hesitation.

"I'm not going to bite you, Erick!" Adrianna exclaimed with a giggle.

"Right... sorry."

Erick's cheeks were flushed as he gingerly measured the length of his friend's leg. He quickly wrote it down and looked up at her waist. Careful not to touch her sides, he put his arms around her and measured around her hips. He then jotted down the notes and quickly hopped to his feet, ignoring the snickers of the older men.

"Well now I know your measurements and her measurements, I can start cutting out the leather. You... you don't have to stay." Erick shrugged as he extricated long strips of leather from beneath the table.

"I want to watch you." Adrianna skipped over and sat down on the bench next to him, resting her chin in her hands. "Maybe I can make saddles too."

Erick's heart began to pound. She was _so_ close... he could smell the flowery substance she used to wash her hair. He liked that smell a lot, even more over the last few months. He didn't quite understand why but his best friend had become a lot... _prettier_ over that amount of time. He found himself staring at her when they weren't talking and turning his head when she looked over in his direction. When they played together, he preferred to talk rather than run around like they did as little kids because that meant he got to watch her sparkly green eyes light up and bask in the sound of her melodic voice. And a part of him _hated_ these intrusive feelings. Especially now that she was pressed up against him and watching his every move.

"Aren't you going to... cut out the saddle shape or something?"

Adrianna's voice snapped him back to reality. He smiled sheepishly as he immediately got to work on the saddle. Lily crept up behind him and nudged her human, prompting the girl to gently stroke her neck. Good. She was distracted. Now Erick could concentrate. He looked down at the leather and got to work.

* * *

Adrianna had stuck around for over an hour, her excited chatting making it increasingly difficult to concentrate on saddle making. But Erick didn't care; if she was talking, she was happy. Her silence was often an indicator of negative emotions and Erick didn't like negative emotions. Not in her, anyway. But soon she decided to head home to show Lily the new pen (at least what was finished of it, anyway) so Erick was given some time alone to complete her saddle. The sun was just beginning to set when the saddle was finally finished. This was good because the boy suddenly remembered that Finn and Adrianna's birthday celebration would probably be starting soon and his best friend would be very disappointed if he didn't make an appearance.

"I must say, that is one fine saddle, Erick. You've done a good job. Maybe it's time to start you making these on a more regular basis." Horst said, inspecting the beautifully crafted saddle. "I think I'll stick to making Finn's though. Thunderdrum saddles are a bit more complicated. Be here tomorrow and you can help me out and see how it's done."

Erick smiled proudly as he took the saddle back from Horst. He was almost giddy. Horst had very high standards (though he was always encouraging) and a job without any comments on how it could be improved was a rare occurrence.

"Off to take it to her, I presume?" Olaf asked from next to the door as his son bolted for it.

Erick, who had forgotten his father was still sitting there, jumped. "Oh... yeah. I thought she'd want to try it out."

"Ahh. Well who am I to stop you?" Olaf smiled fondly as his son pushed through the door, saddle under his arm. The middle aged man turned to Horst. "Awfully eager, don't you think?"

"Definitely." Horst chuckled. "He thinks I don't notice him looking out the window when the Haddock girl is nearby."

Olaf shook his head, a smile brightening his features. "I think the only person who hasn't picked up on it is her."

"Well with five kids, I'm sure you have plenty of experience dealing with this so I'll let you field this one... that is, if it needs fielding." Horst shook his head as he turned back to the clutter Erick had left on the table. "He's usually so good about cleaning up after himself."

"Got better things to do. You remember being young." Olaf smiled fondly for a moment before wheeling himself to the door. "I should probably head home. Mind if I sit in on a few more of your lessons?"

"Not at all. You're always welcome." Horst waved to the slightly younger man as he began to pick up after his young apprentice.

* * *

Erick was extremely excited to show Adrianna the completed saddle as he ran out of the leather shop.

"Charger! Come on, we have to-" the boy looked around but his Nadder seemed to have wandered off. "Charger! How many times do I have to tell you? Stay means don't wander off!"

The emerald green dragon didn't make an appearance at his rider's call. Erick frowned, securing the saddle under his arm as he walked into the village square. His Nadder had a tendency to leave destruction behind so _someone_ ought to have seen him. But as he entered the usually crowded area, he saw no overturned tables, no annoyed citizens, and no Charger.

"All right, that's it. I'm tying him to something next time." Erick muttered as he walked through the village, his teal eyes peeled for any flash of bright green.

No one confronted him about his dragon as he walked through the village. That was odd. Charger could sometimes be a bit of a menace (he had improved quite a bit over the last year but there was no denying this). Being ignored while walking through Berk was becoming increasingly rare, what with people complaining about his dragon. But with Charger missing, the usually calm boy was beginning to feel slightly uneasy.

"Charger!" he called as he finally headed toward Troll Bridge, thinking that the errant dragon might have wandered there on his own.

To his surprise (because he thought that his dragon, if he really was running away from him, would be more creative with his hiding place), a squawk came from inside the cave across the bridge. The boy crept over, trying to keep himself calm and collected just in case his Nadder was in a bad mood for some reason. Charger, for all his faults, truly was a loyal dragon and it was looking like he'd run off intentionally. As he approached the cave, Erick tried to think of anything offensive that he'd done. Nothing came to mind.

"Charger... hey, buddy, it's just me. Why did you run... oh..." Erick stopped at the mouth of the cave, his eyes wide.

Charger was a little ways into the cave but the sunlight made his emerald scales shimmer, their reflection landing on an object at his feet. But it couldn't be... could it? Erick stepped forward to investigate.

"Is that an _egg_?" he asked, going slowly on purpose so that the dragon wouldn't lash out in some sort of paternal instinct.

Charger squawked again and nuzzled the round object rather affectionately. Erick bent down to take a good look at it. He hadn't seen many dragon eggs since dragons generally cared for them outside of Berk... and in the dead of winter, come to think of it. But this was _definitely_ a Nadder egg. There was no mistaking the markings, the shape, or the color.

"You're a dad?" Erick's wide eyes turned to his dragon's. "Where's the mom?"

Charger made a sad sort of coo in the back of his throat, affectionately nuzzling the egg some more.

"She's gone?" Erick asked in a gentle voice, reaching out to pat the dragon's snout. "I'm so sorry." he looked back down at the egg. "What are we going to do about feeding it? I know your throat isn't made for feeding young and they don't have strong teeth after they're born..." he gasped, realization washing over him. "We've got to find you a mate!"

The dragon licked his rider in thanks, causing Erick to move the saddle under his arm out of the way. Leather and copious amounts of dragon saliva weren't meant to be mixed. The boy scratched his dragon on the chin.

"Let's take you to Annie's dad. He knows everything about dragons." Erick gingerly picked up the egg. "Mind if I hold this on the flight over? I'll be really careful, I promise."

Charger cooed and allowed Erick to climb on his back before taking off, flying more steadily than usual. When they got to the Great Hall, Erick pushed open the large double doors and scanned the area until his eyes rested on Hiccup. He walked over, careful to keep the egg safe and warm.

"Chief!" he called when Hiccup was within hearing distance.

The Hooligan chief turned to face his daughter's friend. "Erick? What... is that a dragon egg?" his face lit up with excitement.

"Yeah. Charger, he... he kind of helped make it. Sort of." Erick handed the egg to Hiccup, who held it carefully as he inspected it. "The mom's gone. And, well I'm not an expert on dragons, but I'm pretty sure only females can do that, you know, thing. With their throats."

"Actually, males can too." Hiccup said, his eyes fixed on the egg. "But female dragon saliva is better for the babies. Dissolves the bones, makes the flesh softer. Yeah, if we can find Charger a mate, that would be ideal."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. But how would we do that?"

Hiccup sighed. "That's going to be difficult. Dragons don't generally want to take care of another dragon's young. But I don't think it'll be impossible. We've got..." he squinted at the egg. "Hmm... we've got a couple of weeks at most. Probably less." Hiccup handed the egg back to the boy. "In the meantime, make sure Charger stays close to it at all times."

"Will do, chief." Erick paused for a moment, brows furrowed at the egg. "I guess I'll go wish Annie a happy birthday."

"Did you make her the saddle?" Hiccup nodded to the leather object still pinned under the boy's arm.

Erick grinned proudly. "Actually I did. First one I ever made!"

Hiccup chuckled. "Let's hope it doesn't suffer the same fate as my first. Burned to a crisp. Long story there; maybe I'll tell you and Addie when you've got a moment."

Erick nodded and walked across the hall to join his friend, Charger at his heels. Hiccup felt a warm hand slip into his. He looked over at Astrid, who reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

"How are you holding up?" she asked him. "Ten years since they were born. That's a scary thought."

"Most jam packed decade of my life." Hiccup smiled and turned to face his wife, brushing her bangs from in front of her face. "Let's both of us pray for an uneventful next decade."

"Oh yes, that'll work out great. Kids are always so calm and collected when going through puberty." Astrid grinned as Hiccup flinched. "Relax. We're not there yet."

"But we're close." Hiccup sighed as he watched Adrianna squeal with excitement over the new egg, her dragon bending over to give it a sniff.

"Gods, I feel like we were changing diapers yesterday." Astrid squeezed Hiccup's hand. "Now we've got to decide when to sit them down and tell them the facts of life."

"I vote never." Hiccup quipped, earning himself a punch on the arm. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Let them grow up. But not now. Their childhood isn't over yet. And now it's time for the ultimate challenge: dragon training."

"Well at least that's something we _know_ we can do." Astrid let go and put an arm around her husband's waist.

"Something we won't mess up. Now there's a change." Hiccup put his arm around Astrid's shoulders and watched as his son laughed at a joke of his friends had told. "Why did we become parents? We're so bad at it."

"As I recall, parenthood snuck up on us." Astrid put her head on her husband's shoulder. "But I'm glad it did."

"Yeah." Hiccup kissed the top of her head. "Me too."


	4. Dragon Training

Trying to get a group of ten year old children together for one dragon training lesson was almost as hard as battling a Thunderdrum without earplugs. Hiccup and Astrid had been offering some private lessons to the kids whose birthdays fell before the twins' but they thought, now that there was a group of six altogether who needed instructions on training their dragons, they figured it was about time they got a class together. Hiccup and Astrid found that teaching six children at once, especially new and overly confident dragon riders, was quite difficult so they kept their class sizes small.

Finn and Adrianna were, of course, the first to arrive at the arena with their dragons. Hiccup and Astrid had been up for hours getting everything ready. There were large barrels of fish but there didn't seem to be anything more so the twins were a bit confused as to why their parents had gotten started so early. The reason, of course was nerves. The parents had taught their children quite a bit about dragons but now it was time to put into practice all those lessons. And considering their track record in dragon training, they began to wonder if there were enough safety measures.

The other children around Finn and Adrianna's age were two boys and two girls who all turned up with their dragons a few minutes after the twins. Cliff was a small, quiet boy whose Gronckle was even quieter. Most residents didn't notice him at all and it came as a surprise to Hiccup and Astrid that he was Finn and Adrianna's age when they were told that he would be getting his own dragon. Thorein was built more like Finn, tall for his age and muscular with thick brown hair and a slight under-bite that made him almost resemble his Monstrous Nightmare in appearance. Taryn was tall for her age and her Changewing was even more so. Morgan was blonde and quite popular with the older girls on Berk, especially when she finally acquired a rather finicky Deadly Nadder. Hiccup and Astrid didn't know the other kids as well but they suspected they'd learn much more than they could ever want to know soon enough.

Once all the kids were gathered and silent, all looking rather excited, Astrid spoke up. "Well, it's been kind of a long time since we've gotten a class of brand new dragon trainers and their dragons, we usually let Fishlegs handle you guys, but we wanted to be there for this."

The four children who weren't in the Haddock clan turned their eyes to the two that were. Finn raised his head slightly, enjoying the sudden attention. Adrianna did the opposite, avoiding the eyes that suddenly fell on her.

Hiccup sauntered over to one of the barrels. "The first lesson we usually teach is-"

"Woah, why are all these people in here?" came a very loud voice from the entrance.

"Maybe they're here to watch you wipe out!" a second chortled before making a pained sort of noise in response to what sounded like a fist in his chest.

"Ruff, Tuff, what are you doing here?" Hiccup asked, raising an eyebrow and looking distinctly annoyed.

"We always come here to play Hide and Go Kill." Ruffnut said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm teaching a lesson! That's what we do at the Academy! How long have you been doing this, exactly." Hiccup gritted his teeth irritably. This was certainly _not_ going according to plan.

"Ooh, even better! Look at all the shrimps, is it their first day?" Ruffnut patted an indignant Finn on the head as she approached the Haddock parents.

"Of course it's their first day, which is why this lesson needs to go smoothly!" Hiccup sighed deeply as he felt the plans he'd meticulously crafted slip through his fingers.

"Hiccup, calm down. Maybe they'll actually be useful today." Astrid said, patting her husband on the shoulder. He gave her an irritated glance. "Okay... yeah we're screwed." she muttered so the kids couldn't hear her.

"So the lesson today," Hiccup said loudly, deciding to act like the older twins weren't present, "is pretty simple. We've got plenty of fish here, just reach in and toss them to your dragons. Dragons are very good at catching them in their mouths but they need to get used to your strength and aim. This is really important just in case you ever need to toss something to your dragon in the future, whether it's for safekeeping or just because it's a fun game." Hiccup gestured to the barrels and the kids crowded around them. "I've got some rocks for your Gronckle over here, Cliff." he added, gesturing to a small pile of rocks.

For a few minutes, it almost seemed like it actually would be a productive lesson. The children obeyed without hesitation and even the older twins were going along with the lesson almost like they themselves were pupils again. Barf and Belch seemed enthusiastic about the impromptu feeding. Hiccup and Astrid strolled through the class, smiling in satisfaction at the enthusiasm the youngest dragon trainers were showing. The dragons themselves were quite pleased to be fed so soon after waking up.

"The best kind of toss," Hiccup said, taking a fish from the barrel and facing Thornado, "is an underhanded one. Pitching it at your dragon isn't going to do anything but slap them in the face unless you give yourself enough distance." he tossed the fish to the Thunderdrum, who caught it without any trouble.

"You all are amateurs! Look, I can toss a fish to both heads at once!" Tuffnut boasted gleefully, taking a fish in each hand and pitching them in opposite directions.

Both heads lunged at the fish but only Belch was able to catch one. The fish headed in Barf's direction was too low and had been thrown too far left. It did, however, hit an entirely different target.

"Hey!" Ruffnut shouted, wiping the oily substance off her face and picking the fish up.

"Well why'd you put your face there?" Tuffnut jeered gleefully.

Ruffnut charged forward and slapped Tuffnut across the face with the fish. "Why did _you_?"

"Guys!" Hiccup called, his patience wearing thin.

"You, dear sister, will pay for that!" Tuffnut hollered indignantly, lunging for the barrel and withdrawing another fish. Before he could do anything with it, his face received another slippery slap.

"Ruff! Tuff!" Hiccup yelled but it was to no avail as the twins seemed to find this game a lot more fun than their lesson.

The children laughed, their dragons completely forgotten, as they watched the scene unfold. The adult twins were beating each other anywhere they could reach with the aquatic creatures and it was all Hiccup or Astrid could do to get a word in edgewise. It wasn't until Astrid received a stray blow that things began to turn ugly. The deliverer of the blow, an overly enthusiastic Ruffnut, was then tackled to the ground, pinned down by the slightly stronger woman. Hiccup's hesitation to react to this sudden development was poorly timed as Tuffnut apparently decided that this was a fun diversion. As Tuffnut dived for the wrestling women, Hiccup grabbed him around the waist. However, gravity was not on his side as both men fell, limbs flailing, inches from them. Thornado, used to breaking up fights thanks to his experience with Stoick, let out a deafening roar. When he was finished, the arena was ringing with silence.

"Thank you, Thornado." Hiccup said, extricating himself from the human pile. "And you two are _leaving._ " he yanked Tuffnut up by the arm. "Now."

"But-"

"GET OUT!" Astrid hollered, making everyone jump.

The adult twins reluctantly got to their feet and strolled out of the arena, shoving each other every few steps and blaming the other for their banishment from training.

Hiccup put his head in his hands. "Well... that could have gone better."

* * *

The sun was high in the sky when the Haddock twins and the other kids were finished with their training. Hiccup and Astrid allowed them to fly back to their homes, figuring that they'd certainly learned enough to be able to handle that much.

Finn immediately made a beeline to Thorein and the two began excitedly chatting about meeting up later on to practice some more. Cliff showed little interest in joining them but they allowed him to walk beside them and occasionally speak up.

Morgan and Taryn immediately began walking out of the arena together, dragons at their sides. Adrianna raced up to them as they reached the entrance.

"Hey, that was great. Did you want to, I don't know, go practice somewhere?" she asked, jogging to keep up as they quickened their pace.

Taryn turned to look at her. "Nah, we're good."

Adrianna smiled and tried to squeeze between them and their dragons to continue their conversation. "Oh... well did you want to go swimming? I found this really nice creek yest-"

"Look, Anna, we're just going home." Morgan snapped. "Alone."

Adrianna felt a twinge in her chest that she immediately shoved down. "Well, okay, but if you ever wanted to-"

"I don't think so." Morgan said as she and Taryn jogged forward a few steps so they could close the gap between them and their dragons, effectively shutting the smaller girl out.

Adrianna stood still for a moment, watching the girls walk away, their laughter clearly audible. Lily nudged her on the back after a few seconds.

"Sorry." she said, lifting a hand and stroking her dragons' head. "I was just hoping... it doesn't matter." the girl mounted the Monstrous Nightmare, the twinges she had felt earlier beginning to resurface. "Let's go home."

Had they not been preoccupied with the sheer amount of fish oil they now had to scrub off the ground, Hiccup and Astrid might have noticed this exchange. But at the moment, their attention was entirely focused on cleaning up. After about twenty minutes of silent scrubbing, Fishlegs stepped in, a pile of dragon related flash cards in his hands.

"Well, looks like you've been busy." he said cheerfully, strolling in with Meatlug at his heels.

"Don't even get me started." Hiccup grumbled.

"That bad, huh?" Fishlegs frowned. "I wish I'd been able to help but six kids, you know, and Ruffnut was nowhere to be found until about an hour ago."

"Oh yes, we were made quite aware of her abandonment this morning." Astrid sighed. "She's usually so good about being responsible but every once in a while..." she allowed the sentence to trail off.

"No, I know what you mean. And I don't blame her. Kids are a handful and she needs some time to be... Ruffnut again." he looked around at the fish oil still coating the ground. "She was here, wasn't she?"

"Both she and Tuff decided to crash our first lesson. We're still cleaning up the evidence." Hiccup growled in frustration. "It was fine _after_ she left but gods, can anything just go smoothly for once?"

"Here? On Berk?" Fishlegs laughed, grabbing some cloths and soaking them with soapy water before getting on his knees and helping the Haddock clean. "You should be used to all the disasters by now."

"I try to be optimistic." Hiccup sighed. "It's not usually effective."

"But at least it went okay after the twins, the other ones, left. Focus on that." Astrid said encouragingly. "Next lesson should be better."

"You're probably right." Hiccup gave her a half smile.

"It should because I brought over the flash cards I was making." Fishlegs handed the pile to Astrid. "Might be a bit easier with some visuals."

"Thanks. These'll make lesson planning a lot less complicated." Hiccup's half smile became a full one.

But the Hooligan chief's moment of happiness was short lived as a slightly slicker part of the ground caused his left knee to slide out from under him. He let out a cry of pain as he very nearly fell on his stomach, his arms barely maintaining his weight.

"Are you okay?" Astrid gasped, immediately crawling to him, the oil forgotten.

"I'm fine. Just fine." Hiccup said dismissively. "Stump's a little sensitive. But that's nothing new."

"Let me see." Astrid reached down to pull up his pant leg.

"No, no, we've got a lot more to do." Hiccup backed away from her hand. "I'm fine, Astrid."

Neither Astrid nor Fishlegs was entirely convinced but both decided to let it slide. For now.

* * *

Erick had a very productive morning thanks to his best friend's dragon training lesson. Not wondering if she would skip by the window at any given moment allowed the boy to concentrate on his tasks. It wasn't until that evening that his mind even strayed to the Haddock family. But stray it did when Fishlegs walked in a few minutes before Erick was finished with the day's activities.

"Ahh, you're just in time." he heard Horst say after the usual greetings. "I finished the repair on your saddle an hour ago and I was hoping you would drop by."

"Oh good." Fishlegs said cheerfully. "Now I don't have to worry about it splitting. Thanks, Horst."

"Anytime." there was a pause. "Something on your mind? You look distracted."

"Hmm? Oh... well, yes. Sort of." Fishlegs sighed. "It's Hiccup."

"What's he done _this_ time?"

Fishlegs chuckled. "More what's been done to him." Erick heard him sit down. "His leg has just been more sensitive since the duel with Dagur. Getting pounded with that hammer did more damage than he'd like people to know, so he puts up with the pain. Doesn't even make a face. Unfortunately for him, we all know when he's at his limit and needs to sit down."

"All except him, I guess." Horst sat down, presumably in the chair facing the one Fishlegs occupied. "I'm sure he's fine. He'll be in his upper 80s and still be sort enough to outrun all of you."

"I wouldn't doubt it. But losing a limb isn't easy, even years later. And he lost his leg at 15. Back then we thought it was some cool badge of honor, which it is in a way. But now that we're older... _he's_ older... I don't know. Just makes us all more wary if how much he does." Erick heard Fishlegs breathe a laugh. "But I'm probably worrying too much. Ruff's always saying it. And I don't want to take up any more of your time."

"Don't worry about it." Horst stood up and walked toward the door, Fishlegs following. "Come back any time. And if something _does_ happen, let me know."

"Will do." Fishlegs said, the door shutting behind him.

Horst sauntered over to the back room. "All right, Erick, come on out." Erick nearly stumbled over his feet as he opened the door, his face reddening. "I'm not upset. It wasn't a private conversation. Though next time, come in and join it. You're not a little kid anymore, you know."

Erick nodded, walking over to the closet to get this things. Horst watched him as he grabbed a satchel and a light coat that he certainly didn't need now that the heat of the day was still upon them. The boy headed to the door but something stopped him. He turned to his mentor.

"Sir?"

"Yes lad?" Horst had been waiting for him to ask something

"Is the chief okay? I mean... he _seems_ okay." Erick's teal eyes lowered so that he was looking at the hand clasping the door's handle.

"Yes, Erick, he is. He just needs to take time out sometimes to relax and take care of his leg. He's going to run himself to his own grave if he doesn't." the boy saw Horst smile out of the corner of his eye. "Your friend's dad is fine."

Erick's cheeks reddened slightly. "I'm not... not _that_ worried. My dad's disabled and he'll outlive us all, more than likely."

Horst laughed. "Yes, Olaf is a fighter, that's for sure. But you mustn't keep him waiting. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

The Hooligan chief and his wife thanked the gods when their children retired early for bed due to all the day's activities, which had begun early in the morning. Hiccup and Astrid sighed, relieved that the day they had looked forward to for years had gone somewhat smoothly and was finally over. They hadn't planned on being so exhausted by the end, but, well, that was parenthood.

The night air warmed the house and a slight breeze rustled the leaves outside. Toothless and Stormfly opted to sleep outside with Lily and Thornado, mostly for the Nightmare's sake. She seemed to be adjusting well to life with the humans, but could be a little restless. The parents wouldn't want their kids, especially Adrianna to be disturbed during the night. Finn was a natural bundle of energy and could run from sunup to sundown with ease, while his sister was quickly tired out. It's not that she wasn't strong; she just didn't have a long-lasting endurance. Thus, with Thawfest approaching, she needed as much rest as she could get.

Not long after the kids had gone to bed, Hiccup and Astrid marched up the stairs to the master bedroom. Hiccup closed the door gently while Astrid rifled through her dresser drawers for something light and comfortable to wear. She frowned at the realization she'd need to do laundry tomorrow. Again. Didn't laundry ever end?

She heard Hiccup sigh heavily and collapse on their bed face first. Eyes darting to his prone form for a moment, she stifled a giggle. His dark bushy hair stuck out like a halo around his head. He'd probably need a cut before Thawfest and with summer quickly approaching anyway, he'd probably appreciate it.

"Tired?" Astrid asked, folding her day clothes and placing them on their shared desk.

A slow, muffled moan was the only response he gave. Astrid smiled as she finished putting her things away. Hiccup rolled onto his back when she sat on the edge of the bed. He blinked blearily for a moment to restore his vision before glancing at her. "What?"

His wife shrugged. "You look exhausted."

His lip curled in a small smile but he covered his eyes with his forearm. "I feel exhausted. Too much work to do before Thawfest on top of…" A yawn interrupted his sentence and he shook his head so he could finish. "…everything else. Sheesh."

Astrid watched the rise of his stomach as he breathed before her eyes landed on his left leg. Remembering something from earlier that day, she slid to the floor and lifted the leg of his pants.

He instantly jerked at the touch but quickly relaxed. "Startled me."

"Right, because that's the only reason," Astrid frowned as she undid the buckles keeping the prosthetic on.

Hiccup mentally counted down in his head until the prosthetic was set on the floor beside the bed. _Three, two, one…_

"Hiccup!" And there it was. "Your leg is all swollen!"

"Shh, don't wake the kids up-"

"You've been walking on it too much-"

"Addie will come in and start fussing-"

Astrid slapped his right leg and he could almost see her frown through his closed eyes. "Hiccup, this is serious! Sit up and look at it!"

"I don't need to look at it, Astrid. I feel it all day every day. I know how bad it looks."

Astrid's gaze softened even though he didn't see it. "Why don't you take a break now and then to ice it then?"

Hiccup scoffed. "Because I have time to take breaks."

"You have to make time. People wouldn't judge you, and if they do, they will have to go through me." Astrid paused, running her fingers over the heated incisions of her husband's leg, "Given the circumstances of how this happened all those years ago, I don't think many would speak of it in a negative way."

She felt him tense above her the more she held his swollen stump. "I don't care what people think."

"Then you'll take the time to take care of it before something bad happens," Astrid replied coolly. She placed a hand on his right knee to make sure he was listening. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Hiccup sighed heavily and she watched him swallow. "I'm not going to."

Astrid rolled her eyes and shook her head, knowing how careless he was being; but she would give him the benefit of the doubt. She knew how much he worked, how many people he talked to each day, dragons he helped tame, children to keep in line, stocks to count in livestock and agriculture combined, and she could only guess at what else. Just being his wife and thus being the leading female figure of Berk made her life extra busy, on top of having two children and a home to care for. She knew how busy she was day in and day out; she wouldn't yell at him when she knew he was busy beyond belief. Clearly by his body language, or rather the lack thereof, he only wanted to rest. Thor knew what more he had to do tomorrow.

Astrid stood and crawled back to his side on the bed. One green eye poked out from under his eye, giving her a level stare when she began to pull him up by his shirt. She could see his brow furrow when he put his arm down and sat up beside her in confusion. Unbuckling the straps of his leather jacket, she pulled it off his shoulders and began to pull at the hem of his tunic.

"Astrid really, I know what you're thinking, but there is no way I'm doing any of that tonight." Hiccup smirked.

Astrid smiled cheekily and shook her head. "Take your shirt off."

"Astriiiiiiiiid-" Hiccup whined from under his shirt when she pulled it up and over his head.

"Oh stop your whining and lie on your belly."

"What? Whyyyy…"

Astrid smacked his bare chest, making him yelp. "Stop whining. Roll over."

Hiccup grumbled in discontent as he flopped over, half confused and half interested in what she had planned. Not a moment after, he felt her straddle his lower back and press her fingers into his tense back muscles.

"Ohhhhh okay then," He hummed. He jerked at the sharp press on one particular knot and buried his face in the blankets under him.

"Gods you're so tense." Astrid mused, grinding her fingertips into the muscles along his spine. Every so often he jerked or tensed. At the muscles along his waist he began to laugh uproariously and thrashed beneath her. "Hold still!"

"I can't; it tickles! Don't do it there! Do my shoulders or something." Hiccup snickered before raising his arms up to encircle his head.

Astrid slid up his back a little farther to better reach his shoulders. He moaned under her ministrations, her strong fingers pressing deep into his muscles and sending shivers of relief through his system. Her hard work paid off, eliminating the tension that he hadn't even realized existed. When her long digits pressed up the back of his neck and gradually eased into his hair, he hummed at the goose bump inducing shivers that flew through his limbs.

"Mmm you need to do this more often…" Hiccup hummed when her fingers massaged his temples. His lips raised in a small smile when she breathed a laugh next to his ear.

Astrid kissed his cheek and her hushed words nearly made him shiver again. "My turn next time." She slowly sat up, smiling at his sharp intake of breath when she gently drug her fingernails down his neck and spine. At the center of his back he finally shivered.

"Why are you so amazing?" he mumbled, not bothering to even open his eyes.

"Shhh…"

Astrid continued to massage his back, happy to feel the knots gradually ease into firm muscle. She knew tomorrow his back would probably feel sore, but maybe with one more night of this, his muscles would feel somewhat normal. She was positive he wouldn't complain, though she did want her own massage first.

While she continued, Astrid observed her husband's frame beneath her, how his waist was still extraordinarily thin for a Viking, especially for a chief, but his chest and shoulders broadened to compensate with his height. His auburn hair still held the occasional highlights from days of hard work or flying in the sun. The skin of his back held as many freckles as his arms and face did. Her eyes drifted toward his arms, still long and thin by comparison, but lean and strong. While most people probably thought he was still too small or too thin, she didn't have a single complaint. She loved every inch of him, both inside and out.

By the time she massaged his entire back, neck and shoulders another two times, she was sure he was fast asleep. The entire length of his back had adopted a pink tint from all her work, but she was sure he hadn't been this relaxed in years. He hadn't moved in a long time and his breathing was slow and deep. Astrid rested her cheek against the back of his neck and inhaled deeply. Her fingers pushed through his hair and stopped just above his forehead, finally tired of moving. Turning her lips down she placed a few gentle kisses from his neck to his chin before nuzzling her nose in his hair.

Hiccup startled her when he sluggishly murmured, "I love you."

Astrid smiled and kissed the corner of his eye. "I love you more."

"Impossible."

Astrid breathed a laugh and brushed her hand through his hair. "I thought you were sleeping."

Hiccup inhaled deeply and stretched his arms out in front of him. "Almost."

"Well then, my husband, let's get you to bed." Astrid slid off him and crawled to her side of the bed.

Hiccup gradually sat up, sighing loudly at the looseness in his back and shoulders. He sat at the edge of the bed to remove his boot, blew out the candle and joined his wife under the covers. Astrid giggled when he nuzzled his prickly chin on her neck and sighed heavily. "Thanks."

"Mhm. I mean it though. My turn next time."

"Yes ma'am."

With that arrangement, the Haddocks finally succumbed to sleep wrapped in each others' arms. Hiccup didn't realize that this would be the best night's rest he'd had in years all thanks to his amazing wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget about Cliff and Taryn. They're very important. ;)


	5. The Great Day Arrived

Hiccup stood at the docks, his hands clasped behind his back and his lips pressed together. Something in his gut told him that this, what they had been planning for months, was still a bad idea. But being out-voted at the council meeting happened often and so he had to go with what the majority wanted. And the majority apparently wanted to join the Outcasts for the Hooligans' first Thawfest games ever to combine two tribes. From what he had heard, now that dragons were becoming a popular mode of transport, other tribes had given it a shot to fairly good results. And since the Outcasts were now allies, it seemed sensible to try it out with them. This might have been a good thing because the Outcasts had given this a try the previous year and were eager to do it again but Hiccup would have preferred joining the Meatheads. If only he hadn't asked too late.

"I barely know Allie the Insincere." Hiccup admitted to Astrid. "And now I'm going to be spending almost every day with her."

"Well... you know she's insincere. So take anything she says with a grain of salt." Astrid shrugged. "Beyond that, when have you ever been shy?"

Hiccup sighed. "I'm not being shy, I'm being cautious. I trusted Alvin. Well... sort of. Allie, on the other hand, might have inherited the maniac trait."

"Maybe not. She's not in Alvin's _direct_ bloodline. Maybe her father was the calm, peaceful brother." Astrid peered at the sky, waiting for the outlines of dragons and ships alike to appear on the horizon.

Hiccup shook his head. "I'm just not comfortable with this. The kids' first Thawfest and they're going to have to stress over hundreds of visitors."

"Since when have the _kids_ ever been shy?" Astrid nudged him. "You worry too much. Just let things fall into place."

"Yeah..." Hiccup said as the ships and dragons finally came into view. "You're probably right. As always."

Astrid kissed him on the cheek. "You know it."

Outcast ships, in addition to Outcast dragons, weren't as fast as the Berkian ones but nonetheless, the neighboring tribe arrived at the docks well before Hiccup was quite ready to greet them. He'd been rehearsing this speech for a while but now it was flying out of his head faster than a Terrible Terror chasing a butterfly.

Allie the Insincere was a short, very skinny woman with bushy auburn hair. Her brown eyes seemed to bulge out of her face and her mouth broke into a smile so big, it couldn't possibly be genuine. Hiccup stepped forward and shook her hand.

"Well it's nice to have you back on our shores, this time for a much more pleasant visit, I hope." he said in a friendly manner, vaguely gesturing to the land around them.

"I'm _always_ happy to be back on Berk." Hiccup had forgotten how sickly sweet Allie's voice was, in addition to how condescending it could sometimes feel. "Do you think we can go for a tour? I didn't really get one last time but I'm sure it would be amazing."

"Uhh... well that was the plan. I've got my council members here who can give tours to your people." Hiccup grimaced in a genuine attempt at a smile. Something about Allie definitely rubbed him the wrong way. "Astrid and I can show you and whoever is accompanying you around. This way, please."

Hiccup led the small entourage, exchanging a look with Astrid as he did so. The two of them could definitely tell why the Outcast chief was called Allie the Insincere. Everything she said was sweet and kind but she gave off a distinctly negative vibe. Almost like she was internally insulting them with every single word.

"Wow, Berk has certainly changed. How are your kids?" Allie asked after giving the village square a halfhearted glance.

"Great. Doing great." _No thanks to you_ , Hiccup thought, remembering vividly how quickly Allie's hand shot up when asked if she wanted to force him and Astrid to give their children to a madman. "Finn's shaping up to be a great chief and Adrianna-"

"I want to see the arena where we'll be competing." Allie interrupted. "Since that's why we're here."

"Right this way." Astrid said, her brows furrowed.

As Hiccup followed the group, Toothless nudged him with his snout. "I know, bud." his rider muttered. "This will be a long two weeks."

* * *

Adrianna's heart was racing. She had bathed and helped her mother with the laundry so that she would look extra good for the Outcast girls who would be competing with her. She sat on the edge of the village square, resting against her dragon, who was sunbathing and enjoying the warmth of the day. Dragons filled the skies above them and the youngest Haddock smiled. New friends were on the horizon. At least she _hoped_ they were.

"It's going to be different this time." she said to her dragon, whose heavy breathing indicated that she'd fallen asleep. "There are hundreds of girls coming. Someone will want to be friends. Right?" she sighed. "Sometimes I wish Erick was a girl. I always wanted to braid someone else's hair." a half smiled tugged at her lips. "Not just daddy's."

The dragon cooed sympathetically, not moving from her spot. Adrianna's sharp green eyes followed the dragons' descent to the docks below. She stood up, Lily reluctantly following, as a crowd of Outcasts, led by one of the members of the Hooligan council, came into view. Her keen eyes immediately spotted a short red haired girl about her age and a tall, tan black haired one who was very pretty. She wasn't sure which dragon belonged to which girl since so many walked beside them but she was excited, especially when the two girls spoke briefly with their parents before walking into the square on their own.

Adrianna didn't much like introducing herself to random people because she found it slightly intimidating. Well, _that_ and she didn't naturally make a good first impression. As she approached the two girls, who looked rather uninterested in their surroundings, she saw Morgan and Taryn approaching with their dragons. Her stomach began to twist rather uncomfortably.

"Dana and Jillian... right?" Morgan, who was the first to come within earshot, asked.

 _Why_ hadn't she thought to ask about the names of her Outcast competitors before today? Adrianna bit her lip as Morgan finally reached the newcomers, her dragon sprinting after her.

"Yes... and you are..." the red haired girl said almost suspiciously.

"Morgan. And that's Taryn." Morgan gestured to her friend as she approached.

Adrianna stopped a few feet away from the rather tight group, unsure if she should proceed. She sighed deeply when Morgan looked in her direction and whispered something to the black haired girl, who snickered. As the Haddock girl slowly approached, the girls paid her no heed. It was like she was invisible. And considering the size of the dragon looming over her head, that was saying something.

"Let's... let's go, Lily." she mumbled to the Monstrous Nightmare, turning around and kicking a pebble rather fiercely with the toe of her boot. "I don't need them anyway."

Lily followed her human through the village square, which was getting more crowded now that several Outcast groups were being shown around. Feeling rather small, Adrianna decided to go to the one place she felt safe and secure.

"Adrianna!" Matilda exclaimed as the girl walked into the quiet library. "What a pleasure to see you."

Adrianna forced a smile on her face. "Yes... I mean... my friends wanted me to to stay with them today. They hate it when I go out. They miss me so much. They love having me around." she lied, some of the tension in her stomach easing a bit. "But I think it's good for people to have their own space."

"How very mature." Matilda said approvingly. "I'm sure they're happy to have a friend like you."

"Oh yes... very happy." Adrianna glanced over at Lily, who stuck her head in through one of the windows. "That's my dragon. I don't know if you've officially met."

"We haven't." Matilda approached the Monstrous Nightmare with caution but Lily perked up at the sight of a person who seemed to put her human at ease. "She is lovely."

"Yes she is." Adrianna said proudly. "Would you like to hear more of the story?"

"Story?" Matilda whipped her head around, smacking Lily in the face with her dark hair. "Did you say _story_? Well don't just stand there, child! Let's get on with it!"

As Adrianna strolled into the center of the room, Matilda grabbed a small chair and eagerly sat down.

"And so, the great day arrived!" Adrianna exclaimed. "It was like the entire world had gathered to see _**The Burning Woman Hurling Through the Air with Fireworms in her Hair Over Scauldrons and Spiky Objects Caught by the Man Locked in a Cage**_! Everything was arranged by..." the girl suddenly pulled the back of her shirt over her head and approached Matilda, looking as threatening as possible, "the Acrobat's adopted sister, a frightening woman whose origins were unknown and who loved nothing better than to scare the children of the town!" Adrianna took the back of her shirt off of her head and placed a hand on Matilda's shoulder. "People whispered that in her dark and brooding heart, she resented the sister for both her success and her love." the Haddock girl walked to the center of the room once more. "Suddenly, out came the escapologist, dressed as usual in his tights and spangly costume. But there was no sign of the Acrobat, and no glimpse at all of her shiny white scarf. And instead of a musical fanfare, there was silence, as he solemnly strode into the room."

Matilda leaned forward, her hands clasped together so tightly, they were whitening at an alarming pace.

Adrianna began to assume the voice she had previously used to voice the escapologist. She lifted a hand as though she herself was making this very important announcement to a large crowd of people. "'Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! _**The Burning Woman Hurling Through the Air with Fireworms in Her Hair Over Scauldrons and Spiky Objects Caught By the Man Locked in a Cage**_ has been... _canceled_!'"

"No!" Matilda exclaimed in horror.

"Yes!" Adrianna said, lowering her arm and turning to Matilda. "The audience gasped so loud that the crew on a passing ship heard it and reported it to their captain as an atmospheric phenomenon." she raised her arm once more, assuming the escapologist's pose. "Canceled, because my wife is... _pregnant_!"

"Oh Adrianna!" Matilda squealed excitedly.

Adrianna turned to Matilda again. "Absolute silence. You could have heard a fly burp. Then suddenly, the audience jumped to its feet and roared in appreciation! The great feat was instantly forgotten, and the applause went on for nearly an hour."

Matilda smiled widely. "So it has a happy ending!"

"Forgotten, by everyone except, that is, _the acrobat's sister_!" Adrianna approached Matilda, pulling the back of her shirt over her head again and picking up a book from the nearest shelf. "When all had quieted down, she stepped forward and produced . . . a _contract_."

"A... a contract?"

Adrianna held the book over her head, assuming a lower, menacing tone of voice. "'A contract you have signed to perform this feat and perform this feat you shall!'"

"No!"

"'I have paid for the posters, the publicity, the catering, the outhouse facilities; if I give the crowd their money back, where is my profit?" the girl pointed to the book. "A contract is a contract is a contract! My hands are tied! _**The Burning Woman Hurling Through the Air with Fireworms in Her Hair Over Scauldrons and Spiky Objects Caught By the Man Locked in a Cage**_ will be performed and performed this day or... _off to prison you both shall go_!'"

"No! No!" Matilda cried. Adrianna froze in place, holding the book over her head. For a few seconds, not a single sound reached the almost empty library. Even Lily had been caught up in the excitement and continued to stare at her human. Finally, Matilda couldn't take another second of silence. "Well what happens next?"

"I don't know. I'll tell you later." Adrianna said, placing the book back on the shelf.

"What?" Matilda clutched her heart. "I don't know if my nerves can make it any longer."

Adrianna approached the kindhearted librarian, a concerned expression on her face. "Ms. Matilda... are you _crying_? Maybe I shouldn't tell you any more."

"Oh no, Adrianna. We must find out how it ends!" Matilda insisted. "And I'm not crying because it's sad. It's just that... they want that child so very much! It must be wonderful for a child to be so wanted."

Adrianna's heart twinged once more. "Yes. Wonderful. Goodbye, Ms. Matilda."

* * *

The Great Hall had never been so packed. Hooligans and Outcasts alike were crammed in so tightly, the dragons had to be left outside. Hiccup only hoped that the hundreds of new dragons wouldn't terrorize the village. He'd trained many of the Hooligans' dragons to keep the errant ones in line but he wasn't as confident in other dragons as he was with Toothless, Stormfly, or Thornado.

As he and Astrid looked out over the crowd, they spotted their son in a large group of boys his age (some looked even older). He had absolute command of their attention, his head held high and his face alight with excitement. The other boys seemed to look up to him. Adrianna, on the other hand, was a few tables away from the girls her age, sitting across from Erick, who showed no interest in joining the group of boys surrounding Finn. The parents were slightly conflicted, wondering if it was their daughter's decision to isolate herself or if it had been made for her. Unfortunately, they simply couldn't do anything about it because of their positions as Berk's leaders. Forced to dine with the elders, the Haddocks simply had to trust that their children would be okay.

Once all of the Vikings were finished feasting, Hiccup and Allie stood up, motioning for the crowd to quiet down. The Outcasts were a bit louder than the Hooligans but even they turned their attention to the table elevated above the others.

"Welcome to Berk!" Hiccup said, feeling slightly sheepish at how silly that probably sounded. "We're really enthusiastic to house you all for the next two weeks as Thawfest commences. I'm sure a lot of your are eager to get started so I'll present the pertinent information. We've selected a variety of trainers to coach the kids. The training times for each group are on that chalkboard over there." he gestured to a chalkboard on his left. "Beyond that, just... enjoy your time here. Thawfest begins in two days."

"And we are _so_ excited to get started." Allie simpered. "We are going to have a lot of fun but remember: we're not competing _against_ the Hooligans, we're competing _with_ the Hooligans. There will be winners from both tribes so let's get out there and support ours! May the best competitors win!"

As soon as Allie was finished speaking, the children crowded around the chalkboard to find out who their trainer would be. Kids aged ten through twelve would be trained by an Outcast named Tarry. Neither Finn nor Adrianna had any idea who this was but supposed they would find out the following day.

Several boys attempted to get Finn's attention on the way out of the Hall but the Haddock boy was far too distracted by the sight of his closest friend, who was standing near the large double doors and waiting for the thick crowd to dissipate.

"Benen!" he called out, jogging over to his mentor. "Are you going to be watching the games?"

"When have I ever missed them?" Benen smiled proudly. "I'm always happy to support you and your sister."

"Yeah... but this is different. There are loads of new people here and I know you don't like crowds." Finn's blue eyes briefly flitted to the doors, which was still quite crowded.

"I assure you that no crowd will keep me from attending. Some things are more important than comfort. And more fun." Benen playfully ruffled the boy's hair. "You've grown again."

"I have?" Finn grinned. "Maybe I'll be taller than you someday."

"I don't doubt it. Strong boy like you, you'll be head and shoulders above everyone here before you're finished growing."

"Oh yeah. My Poppy was really big and everyone says I look like him." Finn straightened himself up a bit more in an imitation of Stoick's confident pose. "I hope I do when I grow up. Except I won't let my beard grow out that long."

"You'll have to grow a beard first." Benen chuckled and glanced at the doors again. "I think we can go now."

"Okay." Finn walked more slowly so that the older man could keep up with his pace. Benen wasn't frail anymore, in fact he'd gained a considerable amount of weight since coming to Berk and looked healthier than ever, but he was still quite a bit slower than his young friend. "Benen?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think I'll make a good chief?" Finn asked as they walked down the stairs.

Benen looked over at the youth, a puzzled expression on his face. "Why do you ask?"

Finn furrowed his brow in concentration as he thought. Then he spoke up. "I was watching dad and that Allie woman stand up in front of our tribes and talk about Thawfest. They always know what to say in front of everyone."

"That takes a lot of practice, you know. Not everyone is talented in that area." Benen took a deep breath of the fresh, clean air. "I think you are though. I saw those boys all crowded around you. You spoke just fine in front of them."

"Those are friends though." Finn shrugged, kicking a pebble out of the way as he walked. "I can talk in front of my friends. But strangers?"

"All friends begin as strangers." Benen replied, his blue eyes now focused on the cloudless sky. "You have to have the confidence to pursue an individual relationship with as many people as you can when you're their leader." he looked down as Thornado suddenly bolted to his human. "And you're always going to have help, you know. Dragons can teach us as much as humans can."

Thornado affectionately nuzzled Finn as they walked. "Do you think he's going to tell me what to do?"

"I have no doubt that he will." Benen reached out a hand and stroked Thornado. The Thunderdrum cooed contentedly; he liked the elderly man a lot. "I think you should focus on growing up. Let your father be chief. Watch him carefully and follow his example. But you're much too young to be worrying about all that now."

"I'm _always_ worrying about it a little." Finn admitted. He then gasped. He'd never said that to _anyone_ and here he was just blurting it out in casual conversation!

One of the things Finn liked best about Benen was that nothing seemed to surprise him. The elderly man paused for a few seconds to gather his thoughts before responding. "I think anyone in your position would be. Becoming chief is a big responsibility. And it's not something to be taken lightly." Benen stopped walking and waited for Finn to turn and look at him. "This is a very important time in your life. You're still growing up and a lot of things are going to influence the kind of man you're going to become. If you want to be a good chief, now is the time to start making wise decisions and learning what you can. Don't put too much pressure on yourself because you _will_ make mistakes. I happen to know that your father makes dozens of them every week. But now is the time to start choosing your friends carefully."

"I already know I've chosen the right friends." Finn smiled up at his mentor.

Benen smiled back, genuinely touched. "As do I." he replied. "If you remember nothing else, remember this: in life, you have many paths to choose from. Some are good, some not so good. And sometimes you don't know which path is the right path. But it's never too late to change it."

Finn nodded. "I understand what you're saying."

They had arrived at the Haddock house. Benen gazed at the lights in the window, figuring that Adrianna was probably sitting on the couch with a book in her lap, which seemed to be a nightly habit. The Haddocks would be going to bed soon enough so now was probably a good time to drop the boy off and hope that he would have time for a chat the next day.

"You should go. You need your rest." Benen said kindly. "But remember one more thing."

Finn looked up at him, his eyes wide and a small smile on his face. Benen felt quite honored that the boy so clearly admired him. He smiled back and tapped his finger against Finn's heart.

"Fortis."


	6. Naughty

The Haddock family was a bit restless that night, Adrianna because she had the first nightmare she'd had in months and Finn for a similar reason, though he didn't admit this to his parents the next day. He hated waking up, terrified of either being crushed in a cave-in or beaten mercilessly by one of the cruelest men he'd ever met. But he continued to choke down his fear, hoping that he would have an opportunity to talk to Benen that day.

"Well this is unusual." Hiccup commented at breakfast. "We're all awake at a normal hour. Now we have time to kill before training. I was thinking of going to check out the competition, so to speak."

"Aren't the oldest groups training right now?" Astrid asked. "Might be interesting to watch."

"I'll come." Adrianna said, not eager to be separated from her parents just yet.

Finn's eyes were locked on his berry porridge, his spoon suspended in midair. "I've got somewhere to go."

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged looks but decided not to press their son for information. It wasn't as if he was going to provide any in the first place. Once breakfast was over, Hiccup, Astrid, Adrianna, and their dragons all headed up to the arena to watch the 15 through 17 year old trainees. They were surprised to find Snotlout, Svala, and the Thorston twins already there, watching the teenage boys and girls file in and consult with the trainer, who happened to be Fishlegs. Hiccup had told Allie that he didn't have much by way of actual talent in the games but his theories were what had won many a game for some of the Hooligans. The Haddocks climbed into the stands to watch as several of the teenagers began to train, some with bows and arrows, others flew out of the arena with their dragons, while still others began to spar with one another.

"Well pretty soon it's going to be obvious who the winners will be." Snotlout said, resting his feet on the seat in front of him and leaning back against the seat behind him. "And I don't just mean Inga."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. Snotlout always tried to predict Thawfest's winners and he was often correct. Inga had won every year since she was old enough to start participating, much to Snotlout's delight.

"I wouldn't go counting your chickens before they hatch." Hiccup said, his eyes following a Hooligan girl with wavy, dark brown hair as she came seemingly out of nowhere to attack her opponent. "Though that girl over there has some potential."

"Rosabella? Please! She's like five pounds. The only reason she won last year is because it was just her and other Hooligans." Snotlout rolled his eyes. "It's going to be Cori." he said, pointing to a much larger Outcast girl who was mercilessly pummeling a target with knives. "She's a winner. I can tell."

Hiccup frowned, looking between both girls. "I still think Rosabella's going to win. She's clever and stealthy."

"And has no upper body strength to back that up. I'll bet you _anything_ it'll be Cori." Snotlout smiled smugly.

"I'm not making bets on this!" Hiccup sighed exasperatedly. "There's no point anyway since we both have kids and should probably be responsible with the money we make."

"I've got it!" Tuffnut piped up. "The _ultimate_ wager! Slap bet!"

"Ooh, slap bet! We used to do those when we were kids!" Astrid said, now looking almost delighted.

Adrianna raised an eyebrow. "What's a slap bet?"

"Whoever's right gets to slap the other person in the face as hard as they possibly can." Ruffnut explained, smacking her brother on the shoulder.

"But no rings." Tuffnut added.

Adrianna looked at all of the adults in turn before letting out a giggle. "Are you _seriously_ thinking about doing that? I mean... that's kind of immature..."

Hiccup grinned. "You can be slap bet commissioner."

"Ooh I _love_ it!" Adrianna squealed excitedly. "What are my powers?"

"Well, if a problem arises and we need a ruling, that's your job." Hiccup explained.

"But you have to be unbiased and put the integrity of slap bet above all else." Ruffnut said reverently.

"This is an honor you will take with you to your grave." Tuffnut took Adrianna's hand in his and looked her straight in the eye as if what he was saying was of the utmost importance. "On your tombstone, it will read Adrianna Haddock: Loving Daughter, Caring Friend, Slap Bet Commissioner."

Snotlout let out a derisive laugh. "And Hiccup's tombstone will read 'got slapped so hard by Snotlout, he died.'"

"You wish." Hiccup shook his head as his mind drifted to all the possibilities that came with a free slap. He would have to start practicing as soon as possible.

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid wished they didn't have important duties that afternoon because it meant missing their children's training session. Finn was very excited about it but Adrianna was apprehensive. She'd seen Tarry walking around the arena a few times. She was a tall, muscular woman who kept her dark hair in a tight bun atop her head. The Haddock girl immediately had a strong negative vibe about her but she'd overheard Allie the Insincere telling her father that Tarry was one of the best trainers the Outcasts had ever had and that, though she was hard on the kids, she produced good results.

The training session was split into two sections, the girls practicing inside the arena and the boys practicing flying techniques, after which they would switch. Adrianna was a bit disappointed that she wouldn't get the opportunity to train alongside Erick but she stepped into the arena with fifteen other girls and awaited Tarry's instructions.

The woman stood in front of the girls, pacing back and forth and making the Hooligans feel quite uncomfortable. The Outcast girls seemed relaxed; they clearly knew Tarry well.

"Thawfest," the woman began, not bothering to look at any of the girls, "is a tradition we as Vikings have upheld for centuries." she suddenly turned on her heel and stared directly at Adrianna. "And no one is going to mess this one up." her eyes left Adrianna and began peering at the other Hooligan girls. "I don't care what you've been told in the past. Tradition is more important than anything. Without it, we have no identity. And so each of you will be following the rules or they'll suffer the consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

There was absolute silence in the ring. Tarry stepped forward quite suddenly and got rather close to the group of girls. Adrianna took a tiny step back. The woman's cold gray eyes immediately turned to her.

"You!" she said, pushing Morgan and Dana out of her way to address the girl directly. "What is your name?"

Adrianna cleared, her heart leaving her chest to pound in her throat. "Anna."

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. What is your _full_ name? Or have you forgotten?"

Adrianna could smell the woman's... was that perfume? She hardly thought a woman like that would wear perfume. Either way, it was making her feel quite dizzy.

"Adrianna Haddock." she squeaked.

"Oh so _you're_ the chief's little runt?" Tarry let out a humorless guffaw. She suddenly reached forward and snatched the flower out of the girl's hair. "Get that stupid thing out of your hair. We're Vikings. We don't wear plants. Put on a helmet and for Thor's sake, put your hair up next time. This isn't a beauty contest, it's a competition so make sure you look the part so people will take you seriously."

Adrianna wanted to argue but she lowered her head and nodded. She nearly sighed in relief when Tarry rounded on a twelve year old girl Adrianna didn't know. She watched as Tarry criticized the appearance of every Hooligan girl but didn't seem to care that some of the Outcasts were violating the same standards she was setting. Well _that_ wasn't right... but the girl wasn't about to speak up.

"Over there are a few of the weapons you'll need to use in the games." Tarry said, gesturing to the weapons rack. "By the end of this lesson, I want all of you to be able to hit a target with an arrow, a knife, and an axe. Those of you who cannot will be staying afterward until you can."

Adrianna felt dread sweep through her as she approached the weapons rack. She was confident in her archery but there was no way she was going to be able to hit a target with an axe. Her upper arm strength was almost nonexistent. She wasn't sure if it was lack of proper training or if she'd inherited her father's shoulders. Probably the latter.

"What are you doing?" Dana asked when Adrianna reached for the bow and a few arrows.

"Umm... archery." Adrianna was gripped with the sudden urge to make a sarcastic comment but immediately quashed it.

"Give me that!" Dana snatched the bow from the rack before Adrianna could take it. "You don't need this if you want to win. I've heard all about you and you might as well just ask your dad to _give_ you the medal instead of working for it like everyone else."

"What are you talking about?" Adrianna asked, genuinely puzzled.

"You don't know? Gods, you really are stupid." Dana rolled her eyes. "Everyone thinks it but no one will say it." she placed an arrow into the bow and shot it directly into the target.

"Say _what_?"

"That you're always trying to be the center of attention and the only reason the chief lets you is because he's your dad! That's what _everyone's_ been saying since I got here!" Dana smirked at the Haddock girl. "Apparently no one has told _you_."

Adrianna bit her lip and took a few steps back. Morgan and Jillian, snickered, having overheard the conversation. Taryn's cheeks reddened and she immediately looked down at her axe when Adrianna looked in her direction.

"Th-that's not true." Adrianna said, her eyes now fixed on her boots.

"It really is." Morgan pitched a knife at the target and it landed a few inches away from the center. "Nobody's allowed to say anything bad about you because you're the chief's kid."

"But I... I don't mean to-"

"Yeah you do." Morgan interrupted. "You _love_ it. Always crying to the chief and having him drop everything to make sure you're okay. My family's been waiting months for a new dragon pen and your dad hasn't sent anyone to help us build it but _you_ got your own the second you got dragons."

"So did Finn!"

"He _built_ it!" Morgan snapped. "My dad's blind! Don't you think we'd love a little extra help? We're always asking and your dad says he'll get to it but then it's all about _you_."

Adrianna opened her mouth... but slowly closed it. Was it true? Had she inadvertently gotten in her father's way? Was _this_ why the other girls hated her?

"I didn't realize." she mumbled. "I'm sorry. I'll stop. I'll even help you build the pen if you want" she looked up at Morgan (Taryn still wouldn't look at her) and took a deep breath. "Then can we be friends?"

Morgan laughed. "And what, go to the library every week? Walk around the village while staring off into space until I trip over myself?"

"She does that?" Jillian let out a laugh.

"All the time." Morgan rolled her eyes. "It's no wonder no one likes you. You're _weird_."

"Come on, just leave her alone." Taryn said timidly. "If we can't hit the targets, we'll have to stay after training."

Morgan looked over at her friend, who averted her eyes. "Fine, whatever."

Adrianna's hands shook with suppressed emotion as she reached for the rack and took out a small knife. She pitched it at her target but it landed nowhere near it.

"Adrianna!" Tarry suddenly shouted. "Who the Hel taught you how to throw like _that_?"

"I... I wasn't really-"

"Stand up straight!" the woman grabbed the Haddock girl by the shoulders and forced her upright as the other girls snickered. "Now try." she said, thrusting the hilt of a knife into the girl's hand.

Adrianna desperately tried to concentrate on the target but as soon as the knife left her hand, she knew that she would miss her mark. She was correct.

"Looks like _someone_ has never had a lesson in her life." Tarry shook her head. "You'll be lucky if you make it through the first round without making a fool of yourself. Pity. Your grandfather would be ashamed." Adrianna's face went scarlet as the other girls openly laughed. "You shouldn't bother staying after this session for extra practice. I can tell by your form that you're never going to figure this out. Now try this." she shoved a bow into Adrianna's hand.

 _Finally something I can do_ , the girl thought as she placed the arrow in the bow. She reached back and very nearly let go before Tarry grabbed her hand.

"Switch hands." she said sharply.

"But I have to shoot left handed because-"

"I said _switch hands_!"

Adrianna tried to block out the whispering of the other girls as she switched hands. She'd never learned to shoot right handed before. Her arms felt completely uncomfortable and she found it a lot trickier to aim now that the angle was slightly different. She let go... and the arrow landed on the very edge of the target.

"In all my years, I have never seen anyone with less potential. You know what? Just leave." Tarry said exasperatedly. "I only train the best."

"But-"

"Now!"

Adrianna hunched over and crossed her arms, the girls' laughter ringing in her ears. As soon as she got to the entrance, Lily immediately greeted her. The girl reached up and patted her dragon affectionately before walking aimlessly into the village. _That's not right_ , she thought bitterly. _It isn't fair. I didn't do anything_.

She soon found herself in front of the library. Morgan's words playing over and over in her mind, she opened the door and found it mercifully empty. Lily soon followed her in, lying in the middle of the room since she didn't fit between bookshelves. Adrianna perused one shelf until she found one of her favorite books.

"Do you want to hear a story, Lily?" she asked, walking to the center of the room and leaning against her dragon. The dragon cooed her assent. "Once upon a time..."

Adrianna read the words quite clearly, her green eyes scanning the page and trying her best not to mispronounce any words. A weight began to lift from her chest as she immersed herself in the very first book she'd ever finished, which was about a young girl who ended up in a magical land and went on many adventures. As she reached the most intense part of the book, when the girl made a mistake and very nearly got herself killed, Adrianna paused.

"It always happens this way." she said to her dragon, lowering the book and staring at the opposite wall without really seeing it. "Every time I read it, the same thing happens. I know they're characters but... how come they can't just change their story? Wouldn't that be something? Reading a book and each time the characters make different decisions about how they..."

Suddenly, a thought entered her mind. A brand new, strange, very _interesting_ thought. What if _she_ was a character in her own story? What if every decision she made led to a different ending, a different destiny? No ending was fixed already. Not everything was written for her. This was her chance to change her own story!

"If I was reading a book about me, what would I want her to do?" Adrianna furrowed her brow, thinking as hard as she could. "She wouldn't just run to her dad. No, she'd take care of her own problem. She wouldn't let something like... like being little or not very good at fighting stop her. She wouldn't sit around and let them get on top... if she did that, she might as well be saying that she thinks it's okay. And _that's_ not right."

Adrianna suddenly stood up and ran to the bookshelf to return the book. She didn't need it anymore. She turned to face her dragon, her green eyes sparkling with excitement.

"We're going to do something different this time." she said, gently stroking her dragon's snout. "I don't know what yet but we're doing something very different. Daddy's not always going to be around and... and I _want_ to figure this out on my own." a shiver of apprehension made her pause for a moment. "What can I do? I can't fight her, she'd flatten me. And I can't get any of the girls to help me. It's just me, Lily. Just me... and my brain. And maybe that's enough."

"Addie?" Hiccup opened the door to the library and fixed a very inquisitive gaze on his daughter. "I thought I heard you in here. Aren't you supposed to be in training?"

"I was but... Tarry wanted me to get her a book on weapons so she could teach us all how to do everything correctly." Adrianna picked up the first book she saw. "This one looks right. See you, daddy!"

Hiccup watched his daughter push past him, a small smile on her lips and her eyes practically glowing with excitement. He furrowed his brow slightly.

"What do you think, bud?" he asked Toothless, absentmindedly placing a hand on his dragon's snout. "Think she's finally getting the hang of this?" Toothless gurgled and nuzzled his rider's hand rather affectionately. "And you really don't care, now do you?" Toothless cooed in agreement. Hiccup chuckled. "You're rather apathetic at lunch time. Well come on, let's get you something to eat so you have room in your head to think about things other than food."

As Hiccup and Toothless turned away and walked in the opposite direction from where Adrianna was running, Adrianna herself had finally stopped. She looked over her shoulder to make sure her father wasn't following but he was completely out of sight. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"I guess we'll have to hide until training's over." she whispered, sneaking behind an empty house. She finally looked down at the book she was carrying. "A book on dyes. Well that's not too helpful. I mean... maybe I could dye Tarry's tunic pink or something. Or maybe..."

An idea popped into the girl's head. Her eyes widened and her face seemed to brighten at the thought. This idea was perfect. This idea would humble Tarry in no time. It was the most brilliant plan Adrianna had ever conceived and it made her tingly just thinking about it. It was risky, that was for sure, but above all else, it was just a little bit, well... _naughty_.


	7. The Dye Job

Adrianna didn't think she was very artistic. When she drew pictures, they never looked like whatever it was she was trying to draw. When she tried to paint, her pictures just looked like multicolored blobs on the page. She had given up on anything visually artistic long ago. But mixing the right plants for dyes made her think that it was very possible that she might have a gift after all. After carefully considering her plan, she knew exactly what she was going to need. So that evening at dinnertime, she was concealing a small container of something the dye book said would remove all color from anything (and advised that it be kept away from hair or skin) called bleach and a few small balls of wax filled with green dye. She considered executing her plan as soon as she was finished but she decided to be even _more_ sneaky and show up for dinner so that no one would suspect that she'd done it at all. It was nice to be unpopular once in a while.

"Where weren't you at training?" Erick asked as she walked in, completely missing the mischievous glimmer in her eyes.

"Don't worry about it." Adrianna tried her best to stifle the smile that threatened to give away her whole plan. She mentally chastised herself for being such a bad actress. "How was it?"

Erick shrugged. "Let's just say I'm not the biggest Tarry fan out there." he shook his head. "She did tell you to come to training tomorrow because she was going to go over some techniques for dealing with wild dragons. I guess that'll be part of Thawfest."

Adrianna shrugged, looking at Tarry out of the corner of her eye and hoping the large woman noticed her sitting there. It was imperative that Tarry know she was there.

"How's Charger?" Adrianna asked, keeping her head turned in such a way that she could look at Erick and keep an eye on Tarry at the same time. "Did you and daddy find him a mate?"

Erick sighed. "No. We've looked. We were talking about going to Dragon Island but we don't want to take the egg. But... Fishlegs says it's a girl."

"The baby?" Adrianna gasped excitedly. "Aww! How can he tell?"

"Something about the egg's color and the baby's position in it when held up to the light. I don't know. I'm just trusting him and trying to think of girl names." Erick laughed. "I was going to name her Spiker. I probably should have considered that she might be a girl."

"Can I see her? I mean... not today, just some other time." Adrianna smiled a little when Tarry finally looked up at her.

"Sure. But he's a little protective of her." Erick placed his chin on his palm. "But he knows you so I don't know how he'll react. He barely lets me come near her."

"Well we'll see what happens I guess." Adrianna waited for Tarry to turn away from her before looking directly at her friend. "I'm going to the outhouse. Save my seat, okay?"

"When our giant crowd of admirers begs to sit here, I'll fight them all off." Erick winked at his friend, who giggled.

Adrianna hurried out of the Hall and down the stairs. A typical trip to the outhouse usually only took a few minutes so she would have to act fast. She overheard Snotlout complaining about having to share a room with his sons because Tarry was sleeping in their bedroom so her destination was the Jorgenson residence.

The door creaked open, which might have been a problem if she wasn't sure no one was home. She'd only been there a few times to watch the boys for a few minutes while Heather was out. She hadn't been in their washroom because there was no need to take a bath in those few minutes so it took a couple of seconds to locate it. She tiptoed in and looked around. On the table was a small bottle of something that smelled rather potent. She picked it up and was overwhelmed by the smell,which she now recognized as what she thought was Tarry's perfume.

"Oil of Violets Hair Tonic." she read. Getting out her bottle of bleach, she smiled widely. "Yep!"

This was even easier than she'd thought. She didn't know when Tarry used it but she would be in for a nasty shock. When she finished tampering with it, she put the tonic back where she'd found it, she immediately grabbed the tiny balls of wax containing the green dye out of her satchel and carefully placed them where they wouldn't be noticed but would certainly do their jobs admirably.

The girl hurried out of the Jorgenson house, her heart pounding with excitement. When she returned to the Hall, Erick smiled, clearly not suspecting anything. Good. She didn't want to get him involved. Best not to incriminate anyone. Out of the corner of her eye, the girl saw her dragon peering in through a window. She winked at Lily with a small smile and turned back to her friend.

* * *

Hiccup liked eating dinner with the people of Berk. Since becoming chief, he had made it his mission to get to know everyone's names, at the very least. What he didn't like was being forced to sit at an elevated table with Allie the Insincere and a few of her council members. He didn't like to flaunt his status. It made him feel very uncomfortable, and not just for himself. He had to set a good example to his son, impress on him that being chief didn't make him better than anyone else. And as for his daughter, it was bad enough that she managed to take after him in terms of social skills, she didn't need the elevated status to make it even more awkward for her.

His eyes rested on her and he sighed. At the table with Erick again. Why didn't she sit with the other girls? A large crowd of them were just two tables away. He sighed and looked over at Finn. The boy wasn't the center of attention at his table, which Hiccup found odd until he realized who _was_. Of course Finn would be hanging onto this boy's every word; he was the most promising Hooligan in his age group. And the older boy even looked a bit like Finn too. What was that boy's name again? Jeremy? No, that wasn't it... _Jacobi_ , that was it. Hiccup briefly wondered if that was Finn's future: being the oldest and biggest boy at the table and having everyone hanging onto his every word.

"Hiccup!" Astrid snapped quite suddenly.

Hiccup turned to face his wife. Allie the Insincere huffed.

"I was _trying_ to tell you something. Why aren't you listening to me?" Allie drawled irritably.

 _Because you're as obnoxious and shallow as Hel._ "Sorry, what were you going to say?"

Astrid, who seemed to have sensed Hiccup's thought, stifled a grin.

"I was thinking that we should open Thawfest with a duel." Allie announced with a horribly false smile. "All in good fun, of course. First one to draw blood wins."

Astrid nudged him with her foot but Hiccup didn't need the reminder. With a stump as sore as his had been over the last few weeks, he knew he was almost certain to lose, even if Allie wasn't as tall or physically strong as him.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea." Hiccup said, trying to be as polite as possible.

"Are you afraid of a little friendly competition?" Allie let out a laugh that sounded as fake as her smile. "I know our people will want to see the man who took down Dagur the Deranged in action. Come on, Hiccup, why not show off a little while we're all here?"

Astrid's kicks were getting harder, causing Hiccup to be thankful that she was sitting on his right. A knot was forming in his stomach and it certainly wasn't because the meat was slightly undercooked. To back out of a duel when his reputation in the archipelago was contingent on him being a fighter who didn't take lightly to anyone messing with his people was suspicious. He needed to keep up appearances, discourage anyone from coming in and doing what they pleased. He quickly glanced at his daughter and his resolve to protect her from even more pain hardened. He turned back to Allie.

"Okay. I agree." he stated stoically.

" _Hiccup_!" Astrid hissed, now kicking him so hard he was almost certain there would be a bruise.

" _Not now_." Hiccup whispered to her.

"Well now I'm _really_ excited." Allie's voice was beginning to grate on everyone's nerves at this point. "I guess I'll see you in the ring the day after tomorrow."

Hiccup turned to his wife, who glaring daggers at him. He jerked his head toward the back door and she nodded.

"Astrid and I are going out to get some air." he announced, standing up and pulling his wife up with him. "Nothing personal, it's just a bit stuffy in here."

Astrid gripped his upper arm the entire way to the door. Once they had emerged from the Hall, she shut it and turned to him.

"Are you _insane_?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Well that's still up for debate."

"I'm serious! You shouldn't be fighting, not now. You shouldn't be overexerting yourself at all." Astrid sighed and put her head atop her parted fingers for a moment before continuing. "If you don't slow down, things will just get worse for you. Do you want to never walk again?"

"I didn't _want_ to lose a foot. Granted, it was better than the alternative but sometimes it feels like people think I did it on purpose." Hiccup shrugged. "Look, I've pushed through the pain for 19 years and I can keep going. I'm fine, Astrid. Please stop fussing."

"Hiccup..." Astrid hesitated; she didn't want to say the wrong thing in this situation. "You're not as young as you were. You were so young when it all happened, gods... five years older than our kids are now... well that's a scary thought." she shook her head to clear it before she allowed the image of either of her kids short one limb. "And I know it wasn't easy but you got used to the pain. But here's the thing: your muscles aren't as adept at dealing with that as they were when you were a kid. And it wasn't enough that you got older, you had your stump _smashed_ five years ago. Maybe it did more long term damage than we thought."

Hiccup nodded. "You're right, Astrid, my stump has hurt more than ever since that day. But that was five years ago and I haven't had any problems." he furrowed his brow determinedly. "I have a village to run and two kids to raise. They need to see me as someone who doesn't back down from a challenge. I can't afford to look like a coward. Not now."

"You basically have an army of dragons at your disposal. You won't come off as cowardly if you turn this down. People wouldn't dare cross you! You don't have anything to prove!"

Hiccup smirked. "Come on, the kids haven't even _seen_ me fight. Addie won't like it, but Finn? This will have him jumping for joy, I promise you."

Astrid scowled and crossed her arms. "And when you end up screaming on the cobblestone, I'm sure he will be jumping for joy at the bloodshed."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "I find your lack of faith disturbing."

"Would you stop?" Astrid snapped her hands moving down to her hips. "This is serious!"

"Stop what, exactly?" Hiccup growled irritably. "Stop taking every opportunity to protect my village and my kids? I know this is serious! Why do you think I'm being..." he flailed his arms around as if the word he wanted would jump out at him.

"Reckless?" Astrid finished for him in her impatience.

"Reckless?" Hiccup scowled indignantly.

Astrid tossed her arm out toward the village. "Look around, Hiccup. We aren't being attacked or invaded. We haven't received a single threat _since_ Dagur died and then word passed around with what happened at Maero and your wrath as you island hopped trying to find Finn. Seriously, I'm not trying to sound degrading and act like you have nothing to protect, but you don't have to put on some big show to keep things the way they are. Berk is fine. The kids are fine. And while you're still fine and in one piece. Can't you just be... content?"

"Every time we relax a little, something happens. Snoggletog Eve? Right before my dad died? We were completely relaxed, completely content. We never get any warning." Hiccup put his hands over his face and slowly slid them down. "Why take the risk this time? I won't be blindsided again."

Astrid glared at him. "Fine. You do what you think you have to. It's clear I won't be able to talk any sense into you. But when you're lying there at the healer's, don't expect any sympathy from me." With that, she turned and stomped away.

"Fine with me!" Hiccup called back, gritting his teeth in frustration.

A nudge at his right elbow and the black blur beside him caught his attention. He sighed heavily, resting his hand on Toothless' forehead. "What else am I supposed to do, bud? I can't turn Allie down and I can't keep taking risks. Gods, I wish I could go back to being a teenager... fly away from this place for an entire day because I can..." Toothless bumped his hip with a soft warble, making him sigh wistfully. "Eh who am I kidding... Being a teenager wasn't easy either."

He played with one of his wrist braces for a moment, watching the village with steady eyes. As he watched his people mill around the village, his resolve hardened. He would fight in Allie's petty duel and he'd continue working hard to keep his island safe. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third would not be blind-sided again; he would be strong for his family and his people. Even if if killed him.

* * *

Tarry may not have been as feminine as the other women on Outcast Island (for the most part) but she did have standards as far as her appearance was concerned. Her late husband had admired her strength, agility, and strictness concerning the children she coached. He had also showed her how to make a hair tonic that would keep her hair in place for the whole day, thus eliminating the need for pins. He'd used it on their very shaggy yak but the smell was pleasant enough that she had begun to use it on herself. After all, good hair meant a good brain underneath. And since he'd died in a freak accident five years previously, she felt that it was a good way to honor his memory. Not that she was sentimental, of course.

The second morning she'd spent on Berk, Tarry awoke very early and headed to the washroom. She immediately put a generous amount of her hair tonic in her hair, rubbing it as vigorously as she could so that she could put it up and get her day started. Once she was finished, she placed it in a bun atop her head just as Heather, a fellow early riser, walked in. The woman stared at her for nearly a minute, her eyes wide.

"What are you looking at?" Tarry asked at last, her patience wearing thin.

"Your... your hair." Heather replied with wide eyes.

"Yes. Nice, isn't it? Can't fail to get noticed when you look like this, now can you?" Tarry chuckled to herself.

"Well that's one way of looking at it." Heather grabbed a mirror from the table and handed it to the Outcast. "But I'm not sure that was what you were going for."

"Nonsense, I always- dear _gods_ , what the Hel is wrong with that mirror?" Tarry shoved it back into Heather's hands. "Makes my hair look completely white."

"Maybe because it _is_ completely white." Heather bit her lip, wincing as she anticipated the rage she was about to witness.

She didn't get it. Tarry was many things but emotional was not one of them. She merely sighed deeply and took the mirror again, now carefully analyzing her hair.

"Must've been a bad batch. Thor knows it's done funny things to my hair before so this isn't anything to worry about. I'll just pop in the bath for a moment and it should be fine." she mumbled to herself. "If anyone asks, tell them I've been delayed but hopefully not much longer."

Heather nodded once and immediately left the washroom. Tarry's Monstrous Nightmare scurried around the house to warm the water in the tub from the outside and aside from the occasional splash, she heard nothing for the next few minutes. Inga descended the staircase as her mother was just finishing breakfast.

"Well good morning to you." Heather said with a smile. "You're usually up with the sun. What took you so long?"

The six-year-old shrugged. "Training's tough."

"How is it going?" the mother asked as she began to pile eggs onto the six plates on the table.

"I can handle it." Inga smirked in a way that reminded Heather of her husband. "The other Outcast girls are just like the other Hooligan girls. Winning will be easy."

"Well just to be safe, you should probably-" Heather began but a loud sound interrupted them.

Tarry emerged from the washroom, her clothes haphazardly thrown on and her face red with rage. In direct contrast to her face, her hair was now a vivid green.

"You!" the large woman bellowed, bounding toward the little girl, who sunk low into her chair. "Did you put green dye in the bathtub? Speak up! Tell me the truth!"

"N-no." Inga shook her head, holding back a laugh. "Why would I?"

"Well someone did!" Tarry took several deep breaths to calm herself. "No... no, can't have been you. Whoever it was had to have planned this perfectly and the Hooligan kids are all too stupid."

"Excuse me, that's my daughter you're-" Snotlout began as he pounded down the stairs. Once he took in the green hue of the woman's hair, he stopped in his tracks. There was silence as he stared at the woman, his brain whirring in the attempt to find the right words to say. He settled on a curt, "well that's just weird." before heading to the table once more.

"Is no one going to tell me what's going on here? Someone broke into your house!" Tarry shouted, causing all three Jorgensons to wince.

"Nothing was taken." Heather sighed exasperatedly. "I hardly think anyone targeted you. There must be a logical explanation."

"All I know is, the water started turning green seconds after it was heated." Tarry huffed. "But never mind that, _what_ am I supposed to do with green hair? I have training to conduct."

"I know! I know!" Inga exclaimed excitedly. "You could pretend you're an elf!"

"What are you talking about?" Tarry hollered. "I'm not... you know what, I don't care. Whoever did this obviously wants a reaction out of me so it's up to me to show him that it doesn't bother me at all." with that statement, Tarry stomped off to the washroom to finish her morning routine.

"So what do you think? Thorston twins?" Heather asked Snotlout, passing him the butter as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Definitely." Snotlout replied with a smirk. "Remind me to thank them."

"Why aren't you telling her that?" Inga asked with wide eyes, looking between her parents.

"Because Tarry is the worst house guest we've ever had." Heather put a hand on her daughter's arm and looked her in the eye. "I wouldn't worry about this. It'll blow over. Besides, grown-ups like her take themselves far too seriously. This might do her good."

"Or make her worse." Snotlout grumbled.

"A distinct possibility. But it's only two weeks." Heather shrugged. "We'll just have to see how this plays out."

As the Jorgensons began the day as if nothing unusual had happened, the Haddock girl sat outside the house, her legs tucked up under her. She had dearly wanted to see how her little trick had played out so she had gotten up quite a bit earlier than usual. It was definitely worth the fatigue she knew she'd have later that day. Her brand of retribution was better than dueling or hitting her opponent with a mace. After a few minutes of silence, she scurried away, giggling into her hands. Hopefully that would teach Tarry a lesson.


	8. Quiet

As Adrianna trekked up the hill to her house, she found herself in the vicinity of Allie the Insecure and someone else, probably a friend. The girl might have ignored the two of them and continued her walk back to her house but her father's name suddenly wafted toward her, followed by a derisive laugh. She crept closer to investigate, hiding behind a small patch of trees and deeply thankful for her small frame.

"He thinks he's so tough and brave." Allie was saying to her friend. "But one swipe at that metal leg and he'll be crawling all over the floor after the first ten seconds."

"But wouldn't that count as cheating?" asked her companion.

"It's not cheating, it's being resourceful." Allie sounded exasperated with the other woman. "Besides, you heard about what happened with Dagur. I beat him at this and everyone in the archipelago will fear me and the Outcasts."

"Are you sure about that?" the companion paused for a moment. "I get why you're doing it but Berk is our ally. If we ever need anything, we're supposed to depend on Hiccup and everyone. So how's this duel going to change anything?"

"Because I don't think Hiccup is that great. But everyone else does." Allie said quite flatly. "And I also don't think he beat Dagur because he's powerful. I think he got lucky."

"Lucky how?"

"I saw him with Dagur before the duel. Trying to get us all to go to war to save those kids of his. That makes him weak. And I wouldn't mind so much but the girl is a complete waste of space who is going to need to be saved from this, that, and the other thing for the rest of her life. And that's a weakness I don't want in an ally." the Haddock girl heard Allie take a few steps in the opposite direction. "That's why this duel is important. If we don't stand on our own, someone's going to topple us all way too easily."

"I get it. You're right. You're always right about this stuff." the other woman began to walk away as well. "So about the first match with the older kids, did you want to make some kind of speech before or just get it going?"

Adrianna tuned out the rest of the conversation, gritting her teeth and trembling with fury. So she was going to need saving for the rest of her life, was she? Oh no she wasn't. Not if she could help it. Her story was still being written and nobody but her was going to decide where it went or how it would end.

Her journey home forgotten, the girl immediately crept into the forest in search of the main ingredient of her next punishment. Tarry would have green hair for a long time, or at least until she could find some dark brown or black dye, but Allie needed to be taught a lesson about the capabilities of the Berkians. And she had a plan that would certainly reinforce that lesson once and for all.

* * *

Finn always was an early riser but Benen, after being freed, found that he liked to sleep past dawn. Despite his happiness in his friend's freedom, Finn wasn't a very patient person and he didn't like to wait until his mentor was awake and felt like talking. That morning, he rose from bed at the usual time and crept out the front door, slowly shutting it behind him. He technically wasn't allowed outside before the sun was shining brightly but he was feeling rebellious... and a little lonely. His mother would be awake any second but she didn't usually fuss over him. That was the nice thing about having a mother like Astrid. She was rarely emotional when it came to parenting, though outbursts did happen on occasion, especially one specific week every month. Finn didn't know why that was but he was careful to avoid his mother on those weeks.

As he walked down the hill to the village, he saw a flash of purple in front of his eyes. Momentarily stunned, he blinked a few times and then looked in its direction. Adrianna was jogging into the woods. His sister... the girl who didn't like to get up until noon.

"Anna?" he called, following his sister as quickly as he could and soon overtaking her. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"Why are you following me?" Adrianna huffed slightly. "I'm just... I couldn't sleep."

"That's a lie!"

"Okay yes it is but I can't tell you." the girl replied in a low voice. "Just don't tell mom and daddy I'm out here."

Finn crossed his arms. "Fine. Let me see what you're doing."

"Finn!"

"Why are you being so secretive?" Finn gave her a bewildered expression that vaguely reminded his sister of their father's reaction to their mother's angry outbursts.

"I just... ugh. I'll tell you but you _can't_ tell mom and daddy, okay?" Adrianna sighed and crossed her arms, trying to look as intimidating as her brother did at the moment.

Finn sighed in irritation. "Fine, I won't tell them. So what are you doing?"

"I'm looking for a singing Terrible Terror."

Finn raised an eyebrow. "This is worth keeping secret?"

"It will be when mom and daddy find out what I do with it." Adrianna glanced in the direction of their house. "Come here, I'm going to tell you but I don't want anyone to overhear."

"No one's listening!" Finn rolled his eyes.

"Well they _might_. Just..." Adrianna growled irritably, her arms waving around in an attempt to think of something to say. Finn watched in amusement until she finally put her arms at her side and looked at him. "Okay?"

"Okay, okay." Finn was beginning to regret following her.

Adrianna leaned in and whispered her plan into his ear. His eyes widened.

"But... but that's _awesome_!" he squeaked excitedly, barely sparing a moment to be embarrassed about his voice suddenly cracking. "But how would you train it to do all that?"

"Daddy says you just have to make dragons trust you and if I could make a Monstrous Nightmare trust me, a Terror will be easy." Adrianna shrugged. "How hard could it be?"

"Well I'm going with you. I want to see this." Finn took a few steps toward the woods.

"Finn!" Adrianna whined. "Don't you have anything else to do?"

"Actually, no. I have a few hours to kill." Finn said, turning his freckly face so that he was looking at her. "What are you standing there for?"

"I'd rather do this by myself."

"Tough." Finn reached back and grabbed his sister's hand. "Come on!"

Adrianna had to run very fast to keep up with her brother. One of the things she most disliked about him was his inability to understand that some people didn't like doing everything fast and, well, _efficiently_. He never stopped to smell the roses, so to speak, and this saddened her the tiniest bit. How could he enjoy life when he spent most of it trying to get from one place to the next? Amusingly enough, Adrianna's tendency to take things slow was something Finn greatly disliked about her as well. But with her hand grasped tightly in his, he could now make her go at his pace.

By the time they got to a clearing where they knew Terrors liked to gather, Adrianna was completely out of breath and Finn was quite annoyed with her for not being able to keep up with him.

"Just get the Terror and go." the boy said, rolling his eyes again when his sister slowly stepped into the clearing and got on her knees, allowing the little dragons to approach her. "What are you waiting for?"

"Hush! You're going to scare them away!" Adrianna hissed. "Hey, little fellas." she began to sing to them, causing her brother to snort and cover his mouth with his hand. She paid him no heed as she continued singing the little tune she'd made up. "That's it, does someone want to sing along?" she asked in a melodic voice when her song ended.

A few Terrors joined her for a second chorus. The adorableness of it all was beginning to give Finn a stomachache. _Girls_.

"I think this one likes me." Adrianna said after she was finished singing. A red Terrible Terror was now perched on her shoulder. "Maybe she likes my singing."

"Good something does." Finn mumbled. "How do you know it's a girl?"

"I can just tell." Adrianna replied. "I just need to train it and she'll be ready to go. But I need to name her. Hmm..."

"Don't make it all cute like last time." Finn huffed. "I still hate calling your dragon something so... girly."

"Lily is a very pretty name!" Adrianna retorted. " _Boys_." she muttered.

Finn looked up at the sky. "Sun's up! I've got somewhere I need to be." he pointed vaguely in the direction of the village before taking off without so much as a goodbye.

* * *

Benen awoke and dressed quickly as the sun began to brighten the landscape around him. His morning routine involved a leisurely breakfast for both him and his dragon just before Finn burst in and began to ramble about what he'd dreamed last night or thought about that morning. Benen loved listening to the boy but he needed the appropriate amount of energy to do so.

Just as he tossed a last stone into his Gronckle's mouth, Finn came barreling through the village and nearly rammed into the older man. Benen chuckled and clutched the boy by the shoulders.

"Slow down, there!" he said with a smile.

"I just wanted to show you something!" Finn reached into his pocket and extracted a stone. "Found it on the way over and I wanted to show you!"

Benen peered over and his eyebrows raised at the swirls of color packed through the sedimentary rock. "Beautiful. The color reminds me of..." He paused. "My Aida's eyes. Same bluish hue."

Finn smiled weakly at the distant look in the old man's eyes. "What do you think happened to her?"

"Oh..." Benen straightened and walked around the counter top. "If she survived that raid, I like to hope that she settled down with a good man, had a good happy life."

Finn's eyes brightened. "Do... do you think she's still out there?"

Benen looked at Finn for several seconds before shrugging and looking at the window. "Perhaps. And I've thought of looking for her time and time again. But after all these years... best not to bring up old memories. Painful ones." he sighed deeply. "If she is out there and she is happy, I would never want to bring any more pain into her life."

"But... how do you know if she is happy?"

"Well... I suppose you won't understand this until you fall in love but... I just do." Benen smiled at the boy.

"What about you?" he asked, pausing for a moment to think. "Are... are _you_ happy? Because I'm sure we can look for her-"

"Oh Finn, lad." Benen placed his hands no Finn's shoulders. "I've never been happier. I mean it. You saved my life, your parents have given me a chance to be a man again, stand on my own two feet and strive to be greater than a slave." Finn winced slightly at the offensive word. "I thank the gods every day For this freedom you've blessed me with. I couldn't be happier."

"But don't you want to look for your friends? Your family?"

"Why look for something I already have?" Benen squeezed the boy's shoulders. "Family isn't blood, Finn. It isn't who you're born to or who you're related to. It can be but it isn't always. It is the people you love the most. The people who make you feel at home."

Finn furrowed his brow. "That's not what everyone else says."

"I'm not trying to say your relatives aren't important. They are. But family transcends that." Benen paused. "I think that's something you'll learn over time." Finn made a face. "Yes, I know you don't like being told you don't know everything but I assure you, you never will. Life is a journey, not a race."

"What does that mean?"

"Ahh you don't want to listening to the ramblings of an old man when you're probably bursting to tell me what you were up to this morning when you came across this." Benen held up the geode.

"Oh that!" Finn pointed to the inside. "Pretty cool, huh? It was just lying there on the ground."

"Sometimes our greatest finds come from the oddest places." Benen inspected the geode some more. "You should show your sister. I think she'd like this."

Finn vehemently shook his head. "She'd just want to make it into jewelry or something."

Benen smiled fondly. "Well I think this shade of blue would look lovely on her."

Finn grimaced. "She makes everything cool into something stupid. She gets a Monstrous Nightmare and she names it _Lily_ , what a stupid name!"

"Not everything has to be tough and fierce." Benen chuckled. "I think it's a nice name."

"And she's boring too, she doesn't even do anything except act all _cute_!"

"Lily or Adrianna?"

"Both of them!" Finn stuck out his tongue. "Helga likes to dig for worms and Mila and Inga can both climb farther up trees than any of the boys. But my sister's a wimp."

"She's different, Finn. Just different." Benen held up the geode. "I suppose most people, you included, are a bit like this. You don't see the inner beauty unless you look for it. But your sister doesn't hide it. She's genuine. She's kind. She's odd by Viking standards but I find that rather refreshing, to be honest. And she certainly gets it from your father. It makes them more vulnerable; I mean without the outer layer, I'm sure the crystals within could be smashed much more easily. But it makes them more beautiful in a different kind of way."

Finn pursed his lips and paused for a moment to come up with a response. "But it's like you said... it's weak. It means she could get hurt more easily."

"That's why it's a good thing you've got the outer layer, isn't it? Might not look like much but it's much harder to damage you. But that doesn't mean you need to go to extreme lengths to protect what's inside." Benen began to laugh. "Oh, look at me, giving advice. And all you wanted to do was show this to me. I guess I'm feeling philosophical today. You might as well take this back."

Finn eyed the colorful rock for a moment before shaking his head. "You keep it." he said with a small smile. "You always make me look at stuff different."

"I'm glad." Benen ruffled the boy's hair. "You know, several shingles on my roof have fallen off. Do you want to help me put them back in?"

Finn brightened at the suggestion and enthusiastically nodded. Unfortunately for him, he soon forgot about his mentor's advice the moment he reached the roof and began thinking about his work. And it would be a very long time before Benen's words crossed his mind once more.

* * *

Adrianna was absent for most of the morning attempting to train the Terrible Terror she'd acquired, which she had named Nyssa. The name Nyssa meant "friendly elf," a very accurate description of the precocious and slightly mischievous dragon. The Terror was rather stubborn at first but the girl's gentle persuasion managed to get through to her. And so, once she had practiced her plan with the dragon all morning and into the afternoon, she put it in place and headed to the arena for the afternoon's training session. Lily, feeling lonely and a bit offended that her human had spent so much time with another dragon, became overly affectionate once Adrianna had put the offending dragon in position.

"Oh come on." Adrianna said to the Monstrous Nightmare as she nearly tripped the girl up in her attempt to walk backwards so she could look her human in the eye. "You don't need to be so jealous. I still love you."

Lily was not convinced, especially when Adrianna caught sight of Jacobi walking by the arena with a group of friends. She hadn't really noticed the red haired 15-year-old until recently but over the last few days, she'd started to hope she would run into him. He was tall, quite a bit taller than her and even the other boys his age, strong enough to throw an axe _very_ far, and had a simply adorable set of dimples on his face. Adrianna's heart fluttered when he was around and she was suddenly quite glad she'd taken that particular route to the arena. She stopped and stared at him a bit longer, causing her jealous dragon to poke her in the stomach with a long claw.

"Shh, stop it." Adrianna said in a low voice. "I don't want him to see me!" The dragon glared at her. "Don't give me that look!"

Lily snorted and rolled her eyes, at least that's what it looked like she was doing. She then trotted off to another Monstrous Nightmare and the two began squawking at each other. Adrianna ignored them both because Jacobi had just laughed. He had a nice sounding laugh. Actually, he had a nice sounding voice. Unlike the boys her age, Jacobi's voice was low and quite masculine.

"Addie?" came another masculine voice, though not nearly as attractive.

The girl jumped and whirled around, finding herself face to face with her father. "Oh... daddy..."

"What are you looking at?" Hiccup looked over to the group of boys and frowned.

"Just... the arena." Adrianna quickly shrugged, wishing she had been a bit less obvious.

Hiccup's eyes fell on each boy specifically but his daughter wasn't very familiar with anyone. His confusion mounting, he turned back to his daughter.

"Addie, why were you-"

"Annie, hey, why are you standing around?" Erick suddenly called, running by his friend with his dragon at his heels. "You're going to be late!"

Adrianna snapped out of her reverie. "Okay, hold on!" she turned to her father. "Guess this'll have to wait."

"Yes." Hiccup said, feeling rather suspicious. I guess it will."

Adrianna immediately bolted down to the arena, her dragon quickly following. The moment she laid eyes on Tarry, she had to work quite hard to keep a neutral expression on her face. Her plan had worked quite well after all. Once all the ten through twelve year olds were seated and at attention, Tarry began to pace in front of them.

"I'm sure you're wondering about my hair." she said in a loud, carrying voice. "I decided to dye it green to celebrate all the wonderful green things in the world like lettuce and... snot." Adrianna held back a giggle. She'd had all morning to come up with an excuse and that was the best she could do? "Nevertheless, you will still respect my authority or suffer the consequences."

Someone poked Adrianna on the back of the head. She turned to come face to face with Dana.

"What?" she whispered.

"Why are you here? She kicked you out yesterday." Dana whispered back, an expression of pure amusement on her face.

"I was told to come here." Adrianna said rather nonchalantly, trying to turn back to Tarry's lecture.

"Nobody _wants_ you here." Dana smirked. "Why don't you just run home and stay there?"

"Just leave me alone." Adrianna hissed.

"We will when your dad does." Morgan added.

"Stop bugging her and listen to Tarry. This is important." Taryn piped up.

"Shut up, Taryn." Morgan snapped. "And _you_ go back to the library."

"Please, just stop talking to me." Adrianna whined.

"Or what? You're going to set your dad on us?" Dana snickered. "Yeah right."

"Just go home." Jillian added. "It's not like you'll win anything."

"Or tell stories to the librarian, she's the only one who would listen to you." Morgan giggled.

"Yeah, nobody else wants you around." Dana poked Adrianna in the back.

"Stop." Adrianna whispered, her lip trembling the tiniest bit. She looked over at her brother, who was keeping his eyes on Tarry and completely ignoring her plight. "Just stop."

"Why? Afraid we're going to hurt your feelings?" Morgan shoved her forward so that she nearly rammed into the girl in front of her.

"Go ahead and cry to daddy, nobody'll blame you. It's what you _always_ do." Jillian suddenly yanked the cloth flower out of Adrianna's hair and tossed it over to the back of the arena.

Anger began to boil within the Haddock girl. She trembled, hoping that she would be able to keep it down for the rest of the lesson. She hadn't heard a single word Tarry was saying and considering the fact that there was a Gronckle drawn in chalk on the blackboard, she was certain this would be part of the games seeing as only one person in the entire group of thirty kids had a Gronckle.

"Maybe you could move." Dana suggested. "And start over somewhere else. Maybe your own island."

"What did I do to make you hate me so much?" Adrianna asked, her voice rising.

"It's merely the fact that you exist." Morgan pushed her forward again.

"It's not like anybody needs you." Dana chortled. "And they never will because you're scared of everything."

"That's not true!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it?" Morgan shoved her a third time. "Hit me back."

"No!"

"What, are you scared?" Jillian giggled.

"No..."

"Then do it." Morgan narrowed her eyes. "Hit me."

Adrianna suddenly felt something snap within her. " _Leave me alone, you big, stupid bullies_!" she bellowed.

Absolute silence rang inside the arena for several seconds. Then Tarry's low voice began to echo around them.

"How dare you." she said menacingly. "You are not fit to be in training."

"I... I was just trying to-"

"SILENCE!" Terry shouted. "I see your chief has allowed your weakness to permeate this group of miserable excuses for Hooligans. Well no more."

Adrianna shut her eyes and grabbed fistfuls of her hair as Tarry continued to holler at her. The woman was beginning to get more animated in her retaliation against the girl's interruption. Her voice was beginning to echo in the Haddock girl's ears, causing the noise in her head to become unbearably loud. She wanted it to stop, everything in the whole world to be quiet for _once_... why wouldn't it stop? Why wouldn't it ever, _ever_ stop?

And then, quite suddenly, everything went _quiet_. Like silence but not _really_ silent. Just that nice kind of quiet like the sound of a page being turned in a book or the little noises around Troll Bridge when she stopped walking so she could listen. It was like the steady drumming of her heart in her head whenever she lay upside down on the couch. It was a soothing calm that comforted her and made her feel warm. And though Tarry's mouth was still moving, the words she was forming could not reach Adrianna anymore.

The comforting quiet lasted as long as Tarry's rant. Once it was over, the ringing silence brought Adrianna back to the present. Tarry was pointing at the door, her face bright red.

Adrianna looked over at Erick, who appeared to be livid. He was standing up and his mouth was open, as if he was just about to give Tarry a piece of his mind. She shook her head at him and he slowly shut his mouth and sat back down. She then looked over at Finn, who was staring at his lap and looking quite mortified. But he didn't get up to defend his sister. Not one movement. _Not one word_. As she walked out of the arena, she thought that _that_ was the most hurtful thing of all. But now she had a weapon. The soothing quiet. If she couldn't make it stop, at least she could block it out. And that, along with her little tricks, was the very last defense she had.


	9. A Crushing Reality

Hiccup was confused.

Adrianna wasn't always the easiest child to raise but her behavior usually made sense. But this was not the case that day. Her bright green eyes were focused on the group of older boys as if they were the most interesting things the world could offer. And considering the fact that it was a Monstrous Nightmare attempting to get her attention as she stared, that was saying something. Wishing that Erick hadn't interrupted him as he asked his child what she was up to, he turned back to the village, intending to see how Gobber was holding up, when he spotted his wife ambling toward him, Stormfly at her heels.

"Okay, I know that look." she said as she got within earshot. "What's up?"

"I'm confused." Hiccup glanced over toward the arena. "I found Addie staring at that group over there just now."

Astrid looked over to the group and a small smile crossed her face. "That group of boys?"

"Yes. Did one of them take something from her? It makes no sense. I don't even think she knows them very well." Hiccup frowned and crossed his arms.

"Oh, Hiccup." Astrid's smile widened. "Can't you tell what's going on?"

" _Is_ something going on?" Hiccup asked, feeling even more bewildered.

Astrid patted her husband on the back, sensing that she would have to do a lot more comforting when he found out the truth. "It's very obvious what's going on. If she was just staring at them, that is."

"Okay." Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "What?" he paused as Astrid opened her mouth to explain it... and then something hit him. "Wait!" he exclaimed. "She... she doesn't!"

"Hiccup, I think our daughter has-"

"No!" Hiccup wailed. "Don't say it!"

"A _crush_!"

"GAH!" Hiccup put his face in his hands. "She's way too young for that!"

"She's ten!" Astrid chortled. "That's plenty old enough. Besides, it's harmless. These things happen!"

"I didn't think I'd have to deal with her chasing boys until she was eighteen!" Hiccup whimpered.

"Eighteen?" Astrid rolled her eyes. "Why would she wait that long?"

"Because _I'm_ supposed to be the only man in her life for the foreseeable future!" Hiccup poked himself in the chest. "If she starts chasing boys now, who am I anymore?"

"Same as always." Astrid put her hand on his chin and turned his head to face her. "Her daddy. And no matter how many boys she chases, you're always going to be there for her. So be her rock."

Hiccup shook his head. "I don't like this."

"Of course not. Your baby's growing up." Astrid patted his chin. "But you remember how rough that was. She's going to need you more than ever. Just you wait until puberty."

"We are not mentioning the p-word until we absolutely have to." Hiccup winked at her, a small smile crossing his face once more.

The moment was interrupted when a loud cry came from the village. Hiccup and Astrid exchanged looks before taking off after the shouting voice. They stopped outside the Thorston house, feeling quite bewildered as Allie the Insincere burst through the door.

"What _is_ that?" she shouted quite loudly. "What is making that sound?"

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged looks for a split second before the sound to which Allie was referring reached their ears. A sort of high pitched humming and low growling... at least that was the best way anyone could describe it. Allie's room was apparently playing host to a singing Terrible Terror. An invisible one, by the looks of things.

"That is, without a doubt, the most horrible sound I have ever heard! Get it out!" Allie whined, covering her ears.

"Relax, Allie." Astrid said in an unconvincingly sweet voice. "It's just a Terrible Terror. Nothing to worry about."

"But where?" Allie grimaced as the high pitched noise reached an earsplitting note. "I've looked all over and I can't find it!"

"Oh, I'm sure it's around here somewhere." Hiccup strolled into the room. Truth be told, he thought the song of the Terrible Terror was rather pleasant so the noises didn't bother him in the slightest. Allie's reaction was just icing on the cake, so to speak. "They can be pretty stealthy sometimes."

"Well if you don't find it before I do, I'm going to kill it!" Allie said through gritted teeth.

"Aww, don't do that." Hiccup chirped. "Have a little compassion. It's just an innocent little- well there you are!" he smiled at the red Terrible Terror, which he had finally found lodged up the chimney. "Are you bugging the nice lady? Come on over here. I'll find you a nice place to sing."

The Terror recognized Hiccup's scent as being similar to the scent of the nice little human who had put her up to this in the first place so she immediately scuttled down the chimney and settled on his shoulder.

"Ugh. Nasty little thing." Allie shuddered. "Get it as far away from here as possible."

"That can be arranged." Hiccup mumbled irritably. "All right, come on. I think my kids'll appreciate your singing more than she does. Well you're affectionate." he added as the Terror nuzzled his cheek. "Do you have a person out there somewhere?"

The Terror licked his cheek and he let out a distinctly unmanly giggle. Astrid sighed in amusement. Her husband was adorable when he interacted with new dragons. She was so entertained by him that she didn't notice the death glares he was receiving from the Outcast chief.

Allie let out an angry growl and went back into the house. She would make Hiccup pay tomorrow.

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid had been slightly surprised when the Terror they brought home immediately flew to a gloomy looking Adrianna but they didn't question it; she had a tendency to put new dragons at ease. Despite the parents' strange silence throughout dinner, Finn continued to prattle on about the upcoming duel. Adrianna pushed her food around her plate absently, glancing up at her father when he'd wince or tense at some of Finn's words. Finn pretended not to notice his fathers jumpiness until a sharp look from his mother forced him to launch into another tale about the day's events. The family had gone to bed early in anticipation of the Thawfest games. Hiccup spent most of that evening trying to put the duel out of his mind but it was to no avail as the seconds ticked closer to the moment he dreaded.

When the moment finally came, Hiccup lightly frowned at Astrid's pensive expression as he once again tightened the bracer over his right wrist. She paced with crossed arms through the entryway leading into the Academy. He felt the urge to search across the large space for Allie, but he instead focused on his fretting wife who so clearly was trying not to appear to be fretting. With a heavy sigh he finally walked over to her and rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, it's only to first blood. It's going to be fine."

Her wide blue eyes full of fear startled him, and his confidence shrunk down a size. "I never wanted to see you in a duel again. Ever. It's just… that first one was too traumatic and I d-don't ever want to see you covered in bl-"

"Astrid," he squeezed her shoulders and bent lower to look in her eyes. She forced herself to take a deep breath before looking back at him. "First blood does not mean she's going to rip me to shreds like he did. It's different."

"How do you know that? What if she uses a single swing powerful enough to… to slice half of your face off? Or stabs you before she can check the strength behind her sw-" Hiccup sealed his mouth around hers before she could utter another word. The kiss was firm and warm, and he caught her lips in his a second, third time before pulling away.

"It's going to be okay," he smiled at her. She stared at him with confused blue eyes before sighing heavily. "I promise, I'll be fine. She'll probably kick my butt so fast I'll be back here in five minutes."

"No, you had better win so I don't have to clean you up afterward."

"Griping again, I see." Astrid punched his bicep firmly and he grinned. "Violence."

"Shut up and kiss me, idiot." Astrid pulled her mouth to his and was glad to feel herself relax against his frame. He was right; she did need to calm down. No matter how intense this stupid duel got, it is nothing compared to the intensity of the duel with Dagur. He'd be back in her arms in a matter of minutes.

"Hey dad, are you-" Finn's excited voice filled the tunnel along with the sounds of his footsteps, until he stopped a few feet away from them. "Ugh, _seriously_? You're about to be awesome for once and you're making out?"

The couple laughed and pulled away from each other, grinning at their son. Hiccup tousled his hair playfully. "I'm always awesome, Finnster."

Finn rolled his eyes as he tried to fix his hair. "Right, which is why this is the first duel I've ever seen you fight."

"But it's not my first duel. That one secured your safety so much that I haven't needed to fight again since." Hiccup replied quickly, glancing over his shoulder. Allie was making her way into the Academy now. "Hopefully I won't be anything short of impressive." he couldn't help but grin at the sight of his only son's hopeful eyes.

Quick footsteps echoed down the tunnel and Hiccup knew instantly who it was. Adrianna ran forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, squeezing tight. "Do you have to do this?"

"Unfortunately I do, baby." he pulled her face up to look in her eyes. "I'll be fine. Trust me."

Adrianna sighed and nodded. "Just don't get so hurt that I have to clean you up afterward." Astrid snorted while her daddy slumped.

"Ye of little faith," he shook his head before quickly pecking Astrid on the lips. "All right, let's get this over with. Keep Toothless close. I don't want him mauling the chief of the Outcasts."

Finn snorted. "Yeah, that would be most unfortunate."

Hiccup rolled his eyes at his son's already evident knack for dry humor as he exited the tunnel with his sword jingling at the right side of his waist. Allie already stood at the center of the arena with her arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently.

"About time you showed up."

"Oh Allie, I was here long before you were."

The female chief smirked maliciously. "Why? Nervous?"

"No, I just like to come prepared."

Astrid stood at the head of the arena and strongly lifted a hand. Hiccup ignored Allie's snide comment about his wife ordering both tribes around and instead focused on his wife's words. "The duel will commence promptly. The rules are simple: swords only and the fighter to draw the first blood on his or her opponent wins. Drawing blood through other means other than your sword does not count. My final rule, don't kill each other. This is for opening Thawfest and for sport only. There is no need to spill more blood than necessary." Hiccup bit the inside of his cheek at her words to keep from smiling; she was glaring at Allie so hard right now. But he knew Allie was merely smirking back at her. He didn't even need to look for confirmation. "Fighters ready!"

Hiccup twisted and took a few steps backward, drawing his sword and taking a long, slow breath. Allie's malicious smile returned and he couldn't help but feel the sweat pricking at the back of his neck from her obvious desire to attack him, the multitude of eyes watching (four of which belonged to his own children), or the noonday heat, he didn't know. All he knew was the sudden nervousness clawing at his insides. He forced his face placid and calm, tensing as he awaited the gong.

Astrid swallowed thickly, adding on a whim, "May the best fighter win. Good luck." She saw Spitelout swung his mallet from the edge of her vision and tensed when the gong sounded across the land.

Allie lunged forward first, twirling her sword in her hand for a moment. Hiccup cast aside initial instinct to back away and held his ground, digging his right foot into the ground behind him to stabilize himself. He tensed, patiently waiting for her to reach him. With a horrendous cry Allie swung her sword at a straight diagonal towards Hiccup's left shoulder.

With a sharp jolt, Hiccup dodged her swing and jutted his sword toward her exposed torso. Twisting sharply, she regained her footing and clashed her sword against his with a mighty clang. Hiccup backpedaled toward the center of the arena as her attacks kept coming, one lunge coming close to actually hitting his face. Allie still wore that cursed malicious scowl that seemed all too familiar in this situation, though he couldn't put his finger on where he'd seen it before. He was too occupied to really think about it.

In the center of the arena Hiccup, caught her sword against his and tightened his core muscles, stopping her from pushing him backwards any further. Their opposing forces made their arms shake and the villagers around the arena began to cheer for their respective chief.

Only one voice got through to Hiccup. "Get her, dad!" Finn.

Hiccup couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as a surge of adrenaline pumped through his veins. He so wanted to make his son proud... who was he kidding? He had to win this thing, at least for Finn. With an audible grunt Hiccup shoved Allie back and began to attack her with quick fluid movements. She parried each attack, gradually moving backwards again. She'd lost her footing and that only infuriated her.

Allie blocked Hiccup's sword on a particular strike to her left, and while she had the chance, she socked him in the jaw with her fist. Hiccup yelped and withdrew, wrist on his mouth. She grinned and prepared to attack while she had the opening, but Astrid's voice rang above the buzz of the villagers' cheers or boos.

"Swords only!"

Allie glanced over to shoot a short glare at the blonde woman, giving Hiccup time to turn and spit the accumulating blood out of his mouth. "It's a duel, _Mrs. Haddock_. You do what it takes to win!"

Hiccup barely had time to register her words until Allie tackled him onto the ground full force. The wind knocked out of him as his back slammed into the cobblestone. Allie poised her sword above him but he grabbed her wrist and flipped them before she could strike. It was just an opening ceremony duel; why was she acting like she really wanted to kill him?

Allie screamed indignantly with his weight on her and used all her strength to wrestle him back to the ground. He wouldn't give and they managed to be fighting for the upper hand on their knees, hands holding the wrists with poised weapons. Allie shoved all her weight into her feet, willing her strength to dominate Hiccup's. He felt the cobblestone digging into his sensitive left leg and couldn't help the wince until inspiration hit.

Relaxing his muscles all at once and pushing his legs into her stomach, he rolled backwards and threw her over his body onto the cobblestone behind him. He retrieved his dropped weapon as he regained his footing, trying to catch his breath and ignore the pain in his leg. He heard Finn cheering for him nearby amongst the Hooligans but forced himself to focus on Allie regaining her footing.

A small scrape had appeared on her chin from colliding with the cobblestone, but he forced himself to focus on circling the center of the arena as she did, searching for an opening. Jeers from the Outcasts came and encouragements flew from the Hooligans, but he ignored them.

"Go daddy!" Addie's voice rang out suddenly, making Allie flinch momentarily.

Hiccup lunged forward at that exact moment, quick as the Night Fury he rode. He nearly jabbed her armpit until she jumped backwards out of reach, swiping their swords against each other in a high pitch metallic squeak that set everyone's teeth on edge. Allie slid her blade diagonally towards Hiccup's stomach, making him lunge backwards on his left leg. Astrid gritted her teeth when she saw him wince at the movement, his left leg shuddering momentarily. He had no time to recover when Allie swiped her sword back down towards his knees. Hiccup managed a high leap and her sword sailed past. Hiccup blocked her oncoming sword strongly but what she did next was completely unexpected to everyone, even her own people.

Allie kicked his left knee.

A sharp cry flew from his throat before he realized it and he dropped his knee to the ground. Gasps echoed around the arena at the low blow for such a technically minor duel. His sword clanged on the ground, still in his hand but shaking. Flashes of light emerged and he found himself on Brawn, hearing the screams of Astrid and Gobber, yelling for him to get up. Dagur poised above him for the final kill.

"DADDY!" Adrianna screamed, slamming back to the present. Instinctively Hiccup tucked and roll out of Allie's reach, her sword screeching against the stone.

Hiccup stood panting, placing more weight on his right leg than his left. He clamped his jaw as he stepped slowly backwards while she advanced, malicious grin ever present. He knew anyone could tell that he was trying to hide the pain. He almost didn't care but he didn't want to crack now. Astrid's hand was on Adrianna's shoulder. She didn't want to think about the blow that would've landed on him if the girl hadn't screamed.

Allie continued to pace after him, a few Outcast jeers echoing through the stone. "Must be Hel to be a cripple."

Hiccup's prosthetic scraped to a stop mid-step and his eyes filled with ire deeper than many had seen before. Allie's grin widened—now they were getting somewhere. "Must be sicker to take pleasure in issuing low blows."

"Low blows, weak spots," Allie shrugged. "Call it what you will."

Hiccup bit back a groan as the pain in his leg spiked through. His sensitive nerves could only take so much and he had already been pushing it as it was. The pain was blinding and he knew he could only last so much longer. If she wasn't going to play fair and if he wanted to win, he'd have to play dirty too… but did he really want to do that in front of his kids? Was it even worth it at this point? The sharp replay of his duel with Dagur replayed in his mind, confusing him with reality. He could feel his hands beginning to tremble but he shook his head in a pretend motion of moving his hair out of his eyes. He knew he wasn't fooling Astrid or Allie.

If he didn't focus he could be seriously hurt.

He internally sighed when Allie charged again and he bent his knees in anticipation. At the first strike he ground his feet into the stone, forcing himself not to be pushed back. He choked back a sharp whine in his throat at the pain and collected his strength. He pushed back, following up with a few sharp jabs. He came so close to hitting her at this point that he nearly cried out in frustration; he wanted this to be over already.

But a sudden kick to his prosthetic, the world shifting down a foot and the second spike of pain through his leg combined with the slip of a cold sword against the side of his jaw made him freeze. He stared up at Allie with mild trepidation and he realized what he looked like at that moment.

He was on one knee in front of another chief, a sword pressed to his throat.

It almost looked like she was forcing him to pledge fealty… or something. But the silence in the arena aside from the tense growl of Toothless beside Astrid and he finally found his voice. "First blood. Just cut me already."

Allie's smirk deepened and he seriously wondered at the sword on his neck. She could seriously kill him right now with one stroke. "You're giving up?" She tensed when Hiccup's sword point poked the inside of her knee.

"Checkmate." Hiccup growled. "Take your petty win or I will take it."

Allie had to admit that he looked pretty scary when he was furious. It must be humiliating to lose in front of two tribes. If only she knew how he really felt. That was the least of his worries right now.

She tittered lightly and slid her blade thinly along the underside of Hiccup's jaw in such a quick motion that he had no choice but to jerk. Adrianna screamed and a few Hooligans leaped up angrily at her lithe action. Hiccup felt the blood trickle down his neck, knowing from experience that this cut wasn't even slightly deep. It was just enough to end the fight.

He finally stood to his feet, ignoring the jeers from the his people and choosing to glare at Allie as she returned her sword to its scabbard and walked out of the arena with swaying hips. Something about that fight threw him off. Why did he get the feeling she didn't mean for it to be just for show, just for opening Thawfest? Why did she fight like she wanted to kill him, just to give him a minor cut that didn't even need stitches? It was confusing and concerning.

A hand on his shoulder made him jerk and Astrid held out a hand to him with careful eyes when he raised his sword. He froze and quickly exhaled. He had forgotten to put the weapon away in his deep musings. His hands shook frustratingly as he tried to put the sword away and a shaky exhale escaped him. Astrid tried to help him but he stepped away; he could surely put how own sword back in its place. After struggling for another few seconds he put his sword down and tried to stalk out of the arena. He forced a calm expression on his face as he walked out while his leg threatened to give out with every step. Astrid followed him closely until they were finally in the darkness of the tunnel.

Hiccup leaned against the cold wall, exhaling heavily, shakily. Astrid's hands were on his face in an instant. "Hiccup? Hiccup! Talk to me, what is it?" She knew he was in pain but he was on the verge of a panic attack. She could see it in his eyes and hear it in his rapid breathing. "Hiccup!" she rasped, shaking his shoulders and trying to keep her voice down.

Hiccup blinked and bent over, forearms resting on his knees. He knew he was overreacting so why couldn't he calm down? He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his hands, watching them in fascination as they shook violently. Astrid's forehead suddenly bumped against his and he looked into her wide blue eyes.

"Hiccup, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

Hiccup swallowed the lump in his throat, but it only grew. "I… wh-when she kicked my leg, I… I s-saw Dagur." She blinked in disbelief and he continued, "And I heard you and Gobber yelling at me to move… I… I-I think I had a f-flashback."

Astrid nodded steadily, turning at the familiar echoing footsteps. She held out a hand to stop her twin children from bombarding their father already. Finn stopped with a look of confusion on his face while Adrianna received a more stern expression from her mother. She had to stay put.

Hiccup's breathing gradually slowed and he wiped the sweat off his upper lip. "S-sorry I scared you-"

"No," Astrid pushed his hair out of his eyes just as Gobber made his way down, brushing past the kids. "No Hiccup, you're fine. That's normal."

Hiccup slowly stood up straight, accepting Gobber's pat on the shoulder. "I was so sure I would be completely fine. I didn't expect th- ahh!" A strangled cry erupted from his throat and he collapsed, Gobber and Astrid catching him mid-fall.

The twins gasped in shock as their father braced himself on the floor for a minute, trying to contain the whimpers and groans coming from his throat of their own volition.

Finn felt his face get hot. "She should have her foot chopped off for kicking you. That's not fair."

Hiccup managed a short laugh. "Trust me, buddy…" he slowly stood, Finn's eyes widening at how red his dad's face was. Adrianna's hands still covered her mouth with wide eyes. "Nobody deserves to l-lose a limb…"

"Ah ah ah, what are you doin'?" Gobber asked, grabbing his shoulder when he tried to walk again.

"I'm going home?"

"Not on that leg; have you lost your mind?"

Hiccup sighed stubbornly. "Gobber-"

"You just collapsed, Hiccup! No!" Astrid nearly growled. "Finn, where's Toothless?"

"I'll find him." Finn turned and ran out of the tunnel, glad to escape the look of tortured pain on his father's face. That look shouldn't have been there. It should _never_ have been there.

Adrianna inched forward after Finn left, trying to remain discreet while her parents and Gobber argued. "I'm fine, I can make it!"

"All the way to the house? You've really lost your mind this and you didn't even hit your head this time." Gobber knocked a fist against her father's head.

"Seriously, I'm f…" Hiccup tapered off and leaned against the stone wall when his leg shuddered beneath him. "F-fine. Get T-toothless."

"Finally, someone who's making some sense around here," Gobber huffed.

Adrianna shuffled past Gobber and reached for Hiccup's hand. He accepted it and barely spared her a glance as he ground his teeth, trying to not cry out loud. Why was he still standing again? If he knew anything from the past, it was that he'd be getting dizzy pretty soon from the pain.

Toothless trotted inside without Finn a moment later, sniffing Hiccup up and down for injuries. He warbled at Hiccup's left knee, making his rider smile. "All right bud, let's go home."


	10. The Trick Started Well

"Let me see!"

"Astrid..."

"Hold still!"

Hiccup thought, as Astrid immediately began to work on rolling up his pant leg, that perhaps he shouldn't have put himself in such a vulnerable position. Lying on his back on the couch with his left leg propped up and his right resting beside it allowed his wife easy access. There was also the fact that he was exhausted and honestly didn't have any more fight left.

"Hiccup..." Astrid's eyes widened when his stump was exposed at last. The flesh was bruised and the veins very visibly crisscrossing his skin. It looked more like a slab of meat than a limb. "You... maybe you shouldn't walk for a while."

"Not walk? How am I supposed to officiate the Thawfest games?" Hiccup grumbled, attempting to sit up to get a better look at his stump.

"Allie can handle that. She's the one who insisted on the duel." Astrid nodded to Adrianna, who pushed Hiccup back down on the cushion. "You are going to rest."

"But what about the slap bet? I have to be there to see Snotlout's face when he loses!" Hiccup griped, causing his daughter to giggle.

"While I certainly understand your motivation, you'll just have to wait. That part of the competition is tomorrow anyway. You are staying on this couch until then. No arguments, Hiccup." Astrid snapped. "Finn, go get me a damp cloth."

The boy had nearly forgotten that anyone could see him as he stood in the corner watching the events unfold. He hesitated but Benen's hand on his shoulder managed to snap him to the present. He hurriedly grabbed the cloth and handed it to his mother.

"Okay, this is going to hurt." Astrid said apologetically as she removed the prosthetic from her husband's stump. "Kids, maybe you should go."

"No." Adrianna immediately plopped herself on the ground next to the couch and took her father's hand.

Astrid felt like arguing but she had the distinct impression that her daughter would put up a fight. And she didn't want to attempt to win an argument when she needed to focus on Hiccup.

"You know, Finn, perhaps it would be best for us to go." Benen patted Finn's shoulder. "I'm sure your father will be feeling much better this evening."

Finn nodded but it took Benen's gentle prodding to get him moving. As he approached the door, he saw his mother place the cloth on Hiccup's stump. Hiccup hissed in pain. His ragged breathing was easily audible even from outside the house.

Finn was furious. And unfortunately for those around him, his temper was as fiery as his hair. As he left the house, Benen at his heels, he decided that Allie the Insincere deserved a piece of his mind. And he certainly wasn't about to tell Benen his plan. As much as he adored his mentor, he knew that the elderly man would attempt to talk him out of his plan. And he was no mood to be told that he shouldn't do something he so dearly wanted to do.

Astrid cleaned Hiccup's stump as gently as she could. The raw skin caused the cloth to become slightly pink as she rubbed the inflamed areas. He recoiled when the cloth reached a purple area of skin, very nearly jumping off the couch. His teeth gritted together in a desperate attempt not to cry out in front of his daughter but his hand's tightening around hers told her all she needed to know. She gently reached up and placed her other hand atop his, gripping it tightly so that he knew she was there for him.

He panted when Astrid had finally stopped cleaning the wound. His wife pursed her lips in an attempt to remain as emotionless as possible. "I'm going to get an ice pack. You're going to need to keep it on your leg to keep the swelling down."

"It's okay, daddy." Adrianna patted his hand with the one that wasn't losing circulation. "You'll be fine in no time."

"Promise?" Hiccup asked, a ghost of a smile crossing his features for a split second.

"Yep. But for the next few weeks, you should let mom duel for you." Adrianna said quite softly as Astrid emerged with an ice pack.

"I may lose manliness points for saying so but I think you're onto something, Addie." Hiccup turned to Astrid. "How would you like to be our family's protector from now on?"

Astrid turned to Adrianna with a smirk on her face. "He says that like I haven't already been protecting our family."

"I can _hear_ you." Hiccup drawled. "Sure my leg is a mess right now but my ears work just fine."

"I'm not so sure. I distinctly remember you having brief moments of deafness whenever Finn or Adri were crying in the middle of the night a few months after they were born." Astrid shook her head, hoping to keep her husband's spirits up with a bit of lighthearted ribbing.

"Well that didn't matter much because you pushed me out of bed any- OWWW!" Hiccup suddenly wailed when Astrid placed the ice pack on his stump with no warning whatsoever. "WHY WOULD YOU _DO_ THAT?"

Astrid stood with a satisfactory smile. "What? You were perfectly relaxed and distracted." she shot a wink to Adrianna before walking off to get cleaning cloths and some medicine.

Hiccup pouted. "I hate you."

"No, you don't." Astrid giggled. "Here, I'm going to roll your pant leg up a bit more."

As more of the stump came into view, Adrianna nearly gaped at all the scars on her father's leg. She knew that he was known as the Dragon Whisperer to some people, and it was clear that those things were true. But how much injury had he gone though to get that title?

"Yoo-hoo? Berk to Addie!"

Adrianna blinked at Hiccup's hand (which she hadn't noticed had slipped out of hers) waving in front of her face and shook her head. "Oh… sorry. Lost in thought I guess."

Hiccup chuckled, still gritting his teeth against the pain. "You just looked like you saw a ghost."

Adrianna cracked a smile and shrugged. "No offense, daddy, but your leg looks really... gross."

"All that?" Hiccup glanced at the scars running up and down his leg. He shrugged. "I've had worse."

"I can tell." Adrianna agreed, her eyes darting away.

Hiccup smiled but said nothing. Astrid shook her head. "Yeah, you've no idea how many times I've had to save him."

"Hey now-" Hiccup argued.

"Growing up with him was practically like babysitting."

"No it wasn't!"

"Always had to keep an eye on him."

"Would you stop- leave me alone!" Hiccup poked her in the side, ignoring his wife's and daughter's laughter. "I wasn't that bad!"

Astrid grunted. "And I'm the queen of the Anglo-Saxons."

"Oh come on-"

"You were always at the healer's for some injury. At least once a week from the time you were two until you were thirteen. We all remember." Astrid went on, rubbing some medicine on his stump.

"I'm sorry if I kept business going for her." Hiccup remarked. Adrianna chuckled at Astrid's deadpanned expression.

"I think I've done all I can. I need to get back to Thawfest to officiate in your place." Astrid patted his right foot before slipping off his boot. She then handed him his prosthetic. "I wouldn't be giving this to you if you didn't need it to walk." she suddenly leaned over his face. "But you are only to get up for the outhouse, do you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am." Hiccup said with a smirk. "I see you've assigned me a babysitter in your place." he added, jerking his head toward Adrianna.

"Exactly. You're finally catching on." Astrid winked at him. "Make sure he stays in bed, Adri. Maybe you can read him a story."

As Astrid walked out of the house, Adrianna's head snapped up and her eyes widened. She could do better than _reading_ him a story.

"Daddy, do you want to hear more of the story I was telling you and Ms. Matilda?" she asked him, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"You know what happens next now?" her father sat up slightly to get a better look at her.

"Yep. I told Ms. Matilda a little more but I can tell you real quick before I get her." Adrianna said enthusiastically.

It took a few minutes for the girl to regale her father with the second part of her story. She wasn't as dramatic as she had been when she had told it to Matilda but she made sure that it was as interesting as possible. When she was finished, she skipped out of the house and headed to the library.

"Adrianna, how lovely to see you today!" Matilda chirped when the girl arrived. "Are you enjoying Thawfest?"

"Oh yes." Adrianna said, heading to one of the shelves. "Bits of it, anyway." she paused as she perused the selection of books in front of her. "Ms. Matilda?"

"Hmm?"

"Where's the revenge section?"

"What?" Matilda leaned against the cart of books she had been pushing and stared at the young girl for several seconds. "Well... we don't have a revenge section. Why? Is there a child who is behaving like a bully?"

"Oh, no... not a _child_ exactly." Adrianna's brows furrowed as Allie the Insincere's stupid face swam in her memory.

"Adrianna, are you sure-"

"Do you want to hear the next part of the story?" Adrianna suddenly exclaimed.

"Story? Why Adrianna, do you even have to ask?" Matilda rushed over to grab the chair upon which she had sat for the first two installments.

"Actually, we're going to have to go to my house. My daddy wants to hear it too." Adrianna said, looking slightly guilty. "Do you mind?"

"Not in the slightest. I don't think anyone will be here because of Thawfest." Matilda took Adrianna's hand. "Let's go!"

The trip back to the house took even less time than the trip from it. Matilda was surprisingly agile for a woman of her age. When they arrived at the house, Matilda sat down on a comfortable chair next to the couch and expectantly waited for Adrianna to begin telling the next part of her tale.

"Slowly, very slowly, the Acrobat wrapped her shiny white scarf around her husband's neck." Adrianna said dramatically, standing upright and looking at her audience. "'For luck, my love.' she said, kissing him with the gentlest of kisses. 'Smile; we have done this a thousand times.' But suddenly, she hugged him with the biggest hug in the world, so hard that he thought she would hug all the air out of him. And so, they prepared themselves for the most dangerous feat that had ever been performed." the girl took a step forward. "The great escapologist had to escape from the cage," she pretended to break out of a cage as she said this, "lean out, catch his wife with one hand," she leaned over and made a fist, "grab a bucket of water with the other," she leaned in the other direction and grabbed an invisible bucket, "put out the flames on the specially-designed dress within twelve seconds before the flames reached the Fireworms and _burned his wife's head off_!" she threw her arms into the air.

Matilda screamed so loudly, the sound echoed off the walls. There was absolute silence for a while as both Haddocks turned identical pairs of green eyes to face her.

"Sorry, go on." Matilda said sheepishly.

"The trick started well. The moment the specially-designed dress was set alight, the acrobat swung into the air. The crowd held their breath as she hurled over the Scauldrons and spiky objects.

One second! Two seconds!

They watched as the flames crept up the dress.

Three seconds! Four seconds!

She began to reach out her arms towards the cage.

Five seconds! Six seconds!

Suddenly, the padlocks pinged open, and the huge chains fell away.

Seven seconds! Eight seconds!

The door flung open, and the escapologist reached out one huge, muscled arm to catch his wife and their child.

 _Nine seconds! Ten seconds!_ "

"Oh, I can't look!" cried Matilda, her hands over her eyes.

" _Eleven seconds!_

And he grabbed her hand, and . . . and . . . and suddenly, the flames were covered in water before they could both be burned to a crisp!"

"Oh how grand! So the story _does_ have a happy ending after all!" Matilda shouted excitedly, her hands in the air.

"No." said Adrianna stoically.

"No?" Matilda asked, sounding quite disappointed.

"No." Adrianna shook her head. "Maybe it was the thought of the child. Maybe it was nerves. But the escapologist used just a touch too much water. And suddenly, their hands became slippy, and she fell."

"No! Was... was she okay?" Matilda asked very quietly. "Did, uh... did she survive?"

"She broke every bone in her body. Except for the ones at the ends of her little fingers. She did manage to live long enough to have their child, but the effort was too great. 'Love our little girl,' she said. 'Love our daughter with all your heart. She was all we ever wanted.' And then... she died." Adrianna put her head down sadly.

Matilda stood up and walked toward the table, upon which were a few spare handkerchiefs She wiped her eyes with one of them.

"And then... things got worse."

Matilda collapsed against the table. "What? _Worse_? Oh no, Adrianna, not worse! They can't get worse!"

"I'm afraid they did." Adrianna said emphatically. "You see, the escapologist was so kind that he never, for one second, blamed the evil sister for what had happened. So he didn't secure his house tightly enough, thinking that he and his daughter were safe. But one night, the acrobat's sister snuck in and stole the baby, leaving only a cryptic message behind." Adrianna paused for a moment to let it sink in. Hiccup's breath caught in his throat. This evil woman was sounding _very_ familiar... "The escapologist spent the next few years trying to work out the clue and find the evil sister. And during that time, she hid his daughter away in the woods so that no one would find her. She was nothing but cruel to the little girl, making her wash and iron and cook and clean, and beating her if she did a thing wrong. And so the poor little girl grew up with the _meanest, cruelest, horrible-est_ aunt you can possibly _imagine_!"

"Addie, are you... are you okay?" Hiccup asked, his face etched with sudden concern.

"At night, the escapologist's daughter cried herself to sleep alone in her room." Adrianna continued as if Hiccup hadn't interrupted. "She couldn't say a single word about the evil aunt's bullying because she and the aunt were so separated from other people by the thick wood. And so she suffered in silence." Adrianna pulled the back of her shirt over her head once more. "This only encouraged the woman to greater cruelties until one day, she exploded! 'You are a useless, filthy, nasty little creep!' And she beat her and threw her into a dank, dark, dusty cellar, locked the door, and went out." Adrianna thew herself onto the ground.

There was absolute silence in the house as both Hiccup and Matilda waited for the girl to move again. Hiccup felt as if he was getting awfully close to some kind of realization but he couldn't quite figure out what it was he was supposed to be gleaning from this story.

The girl suddenly looked up at her audience. "But that day, the acrobat's sister forgot to check to make sure the door was securely shut. And so the little girl escaped! She was never found by the evil aunt but no one knows what happened to her. But because she didn't have any memory of her life with the escapologist, she didn't know who she was looking for. So because escapologist didn't know that she had gotten away, he continued to look for her."

There was a long silence as Adrianna stood in the middle of the room, not moving a muscle. Hiccup and Matilda continued to stare at her, both quite on edge.

"Well what happens next?" Matilda pleaded when the silence became unbearable.

"I suppose I'll have to tell you later." Adrianna admitted. "And I guess you should go back to the library so it doesn't stay closed."

Matilda looked distraught but nodded understandingly. She stood up and took Adrianna's hand.

"I'll be back soon, daddy. Now remember what mom said and _rest_." Adrianna leaned forward and kissed her father on the forehead. "I'll bring back a book for us to read."

"I look forward to it." Hiccup said with a smile, secretly glad that she was leaving because it gave him some time to process what he had just heard.

"Adrianna... you are _so_ smart." Matilda said just after they walked out of the house. "Your friends must feel so lucky to know you."

"Oh yes, they do." Adrianna said as excitedly as she could as she led Matilda down the path to the library. "They're always saying that, in fact, they say 'Anna, we're so lucky to have a friend like you. So very, very lucky to have a friend as... as..." the girl stopped in her tracks, her eyes fixed on her boots. Matilda stared at her distraught expression for a few seconds before Adrianna spoke again. "That's not true, Ms. Matilda. That's not what they say. The other girls don't like me at all. Nobody does except mom and daddy and Erick. And you, I suppose."

Matilda paused for a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking. "Oh, Adrianna... I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." Adrianna picked up her pace so that she would reach the library (thus ending this awkward conversation) much sooner. "I'm just different. Always have been."

"No." Matilda said so firmly, the girl was slightly startled. "You're special. It's not everyone who can tell stories as well as you. I can tell just by how you talk to me that you're very smart. And if the other girls don't see that, they're not so smart themselves."

"But I _want_ them to see that." Adrianna sighed deeply. "I don't want to be just the chief's daughter who always needs rescuing. But that's how everyone sees me."

"That's not how I see you." Matilda gently countered.

"But you're different. You're..."

"Smart?" Matilda smiled when Adrianna nodded. "Sometimes I think other girls are threatened by people like us. But we can't let that bother us." At this point. they had arrived at the library. Matilda pushed open the door and led Adrianna to the middle of the room. "There may be nothing you can do to make the other girls like you. But the people who like you because of who you are, those are the people who matter." Adrianna bit her lip but nodded. Matilda then, quite suddenly, took a book off the shelf. "You and your father liked this story, didn't you?"

Adrianna looked at the cover and smiled. It was the spaceman book. "Yeah, we did. We couldn't put it down."

"Then keep it. My gift to you." Matilda tucked the book into her arms.

"But Ms. Matilda-"

"I insist." Matilda patted Adrianna on the shoulder.

"Well... thank you." Adrianna's suddenly filled with tears. "Thank you very much." she quickly wiped her eyes but there was no stopping the barrage of tears now falling down her face.

"Oh, come here, child." Matilda leaned down put her arms around Adrianna. The girl immediately buried her face in her shoulder. "I know how much this can hurt. But things do get better. I promise."

"H-how?" Adrianna whimpered.

"Well when we grow up, we realize just how silly we acted when we were your age. How stupid our grudges were. Most grown-ups don't treat each other this way. And the ones who do are the ones who don't have any _real_ friends." Matilda gently pushed Adrianna away and wiped her tears with the handkerchief she had borrowed from the Haddock home. "Chin up. Don't let them get you down."

Adrianna nodded and stifled a hiccup. "I sh-should go home and t-take care of my daddy."

"That you should." Matilda patted Adrianna on the head once more and smiled fondly as the girl walked out of the library, clutching the book to her chest as if it was the most important object in the universe.


	11. The Next Great Dragon Master

Finn tromped through the village, angry scowl ever present on his face. If any of the older generation had been paying attention, they might have mistaken him for a young Stoick the Vast when he sneered in the face of danger with contempt. The young man was beyond furious and thus didn't notice his elderly friend following closely behind. Finn was on a mission and couldn't care less who knew about it or stood in his way.

That terrible Outcast chief caused a lot of pain on his father. _His_ father! How _dare_ she! Oh, how she had crossed a line, and oh, how she would _pay_ for her injustice. She hadn't fought the duel fairly; she had seriously injured his father in front of two tribes; and she had made him look weak and helpless in the process.

And if there was one thing Finn _hated_ , it was when one person openly subjugated weakness on another.

His father was not weak. Hiccup was the strongest man he knew, aside from his Poppy or Benen. These were the strongest men, the leading figures he looked up to for advice and leadership and responsibility. Poppy had given him solid foundational principles such as strength and unbending leadership while protecting those who you care about. His father taught him compassion and kindness and how to be an adroit handler of various situations. And then there was sweet Benen, who taught him the true definition of strength and power.

Criticize any of these men, whether in word or deed, you will face the wrath of Fearless Finn Haddock. No questions asked.

The headstrong boy saw his target long before she was within earshot. He stomped toward her like a raging bull before halting at her hip with the dust swirling at his ankles. Allie the Insincere looked down at him with an air of boredom before raising a critical eyebrow.

"What do you want?" she snipped.

"You've got some nerve!" Finn growled, fists at his sides. He vaguely registered Benen puffing beside him, finally catching up.

Allie stuck out her lower lip with creased eyebrows and drawled, "Aww is dis about your daddy?" When Finn's scowl deepened, her expression returned to its former icy constitution. "Good. I only exposed my tribe to the truth."

Finn stood his ground. "And what's _that_?"

"That the Hooligan tribe has truly declined from the glory of its former leaders. Hiccup is nothing but a joke, the runt of the village who got lucky enough to become someone powerful because of a stupid flying lizard." Allie ignored the slight gasps from a few Hooligans standing nearby and only smiled at Finn's reddening face. "He's weak, he's crippled, he can't even control his own children—gives his son a run of the village while his little blonde brat can't even lift a hammer, let alone throw it. The Haddock line has truly deteriorated to _nothing_ and I am beginning to wonder why the Outcasts would ever agree to peace with the Hooligan tribe in the first place."

Finn saw red. He'd never felt more angry in his entire life and he couldn't even pinpoint what exactly he was angry at—the degrading comments on his father, his grandfather, his _ancestry_ , his tribe… All he felt was pure rage surging through his veins with each rapid pump of his blood.

Nearly panting to keep himself standing where he was, and hiding his flinch under Benen's warm hand, Finn tensed when Allie leaned closer. "Just accept the fact that your father is a weak runt who can't be normal and that _you_ are to clean up his mess when he's finished. I'd start praying to be a better chieftain right now."

Finn couldn't hold himself back any longer. He did the first thing that came as instinct. He did what he had always wanted to do to Ratri after he'd yank him up by the hair and beat him to a bloody pulp with his cane.

Finn spat in Allie's face.

Gasps flew escaped a few watchers, even Benen. Allie recoiled before raising a hand to slap the boy across the face. A strong hand snatched her hand out of the air before Finn could even flinch. Allie looked down with contempt at the old man tightly holding her wrist.

"Let. Go." Allie bit out, wiping the spit off her cheek with her free sleeve.

"I think not," Benen growled in a deep voice so low and dangerous that none had heard before. The usually very gentle and kindhearted old man quickly added, "I don't care who you are or what he has done to deserve such treatment, do _not_ raise a hand against a child."

"A foolish child-" Allie began.

"I agree!" Finn glanced at Benen with a confused look. Benen didn't return the look, but continued, "He has much to learn and he will. You, on the other hand, should not need a lecture from an old man on how not to treat people." Benen's free hand pointed in Allie's face suddenly and she honestly flinched. "If you raise a hand against any child in my presence, you would do well to run as fast as you can and find a good hiding spot. Because I will show you what it is like to be truly _weak_ and _helpless_." Allie's eyes were round as saucers by now, as were most of their audiences', even Finn. "Do I make myself clear?"

Allie swallowed but hardened her expression once more. Her chin bobbed once and Benen released his tight grip from her forearm. Benen next grabbed Finn's arm and pushed him away from the Outcast chief, only turning his icy blue gaze away from her when he had no choice but to turn.

The Outcast chief sneered at the Hooligans who had been watching, ignoring their smug expressions or comments thrown in her direction. With a scowl, she stomped through the square toward her living quarters. She could still feel the hard grip of calloused, scarred fingers pressing into her arm.

* * *

Benen dragged Finn toward the outskirts of the village. The farther they walked, the more Finn took into account the silence, the firm grip the man had on his arm and the decreasing number of villagers the farther away they walked.

As soon as Benen seemed content with their distance from all civilization amongst the trees, he released Finn's arm and whirled on him. "Foolish boy!" Finn jerked at Benen's words. He wasn't harsh and he wasn't loud. He was firm, quiet and an uncharacteristic frown was splayed across his face. Finn had no words to speak, he was so shocked, and Benen continued, "Would you like to start a war between the tribes? Every chieftain has his or her pressure points and limitations. I suspect that if one were to push them far enough, the repercussions could be disastrous. Your parents don't need to worry about-"

Finn finally found his voice. "A war? Benen, I spat in her face, that wouldn't start a-"

"You'd like to think so, wouldn't you?" Benen interrupted, folding his arms. "Do you know how to run a village? Do you know the proper way to address a chieftain, other than your father? Do you know just how far the chief of the Outcasts can be pushed? If that scene was any indication, I'd say she doesn't take spit to the face lightly. And quite honestly, I don't blame her. It's degrading-"

"She deserved it!" Finn shouted, his former ire returning in waves within his soul. Benen leaned back on his left leg patiently, waiting for the boy to continue. Finn's hands waved around in angry circles as he struggled for the words. "S-she said the most… the biggest lies about my dad! He isn't weak and helpless! He is a great chief and a great man! If anyone is weak it's her! She _cheated_ in that duel and made my dad look stupid in front of everyone!" Finn kicked an idle rock away from them, panting as it crashed further into the woods. "How can you be so _calm_ about this? Why am _I_ getting in trouble?"

Benen listened calmly, and Finn was glad that the old man's temper was swift but quickly spent. Finn felt the heat on his face, from anger or honest embarrassment he couldn't tell. Benen's blue stare prompted him to further explain himself. "I-I just… My dad's not weak. And I can't stand _anyone_ treating him like he is."

"You are afraid for him." Benen quietly replied. Finn's head snapped up at the offensive word. Benen regarded him silently. "Fear is not always bad, Finn." Finn looked away, trying and failing to hide his disagreement. Benen pressed on, "You don't want to see him hurt. You don't want to see him in pain," Benen paused, weighing his words heavily, trying to decide if he should speak them. "Because of what you went through."

Finn looked up at him with hard blue eyes. He hated it when anyone broached the topic of his slavery. It was easier with Benen because he had been a slave for much, much longer. But to speak of Finn's worst days… his _weakest_ days… he shook his head to clear it. "What's your point?"

"You've tasted fear and the inability to stand up for yourself. Hey, look at me," Benen waited until Finn looked back at him. It took nearly a minute and the boy looked quite pained. Benen so wished to take that burden away from the boy. It clearly still hurt more than he'd ever let on. "And the thought of anyone else, especially someone you love, having to go through something similar _kills_ you inside. I understand, lad. I do."

Finn nodded absently, his eyes darting back to the tips of his boots.

"You are right. Your father is not weak. Or helpless. And neither are you." Finn glanced up at him through his bangs. A wide smile had spread across Benen's wrinkled face. "Your father has seen indescribable struggle and pain in his life, just as we have. But all of us have experienced different kinds. You should ask him about it sometime. Really, he is a lot stronger than most people give him credit for. Allie the Insincere is exactly what her title says—insincere. You father knows not to take insincere words to heart. It's the words of those who _matter_ that really matter."

The last line stuck in Finn's mind for a few seconds. He pondered them for a moment before nodding in agreement. Benen was right. He was always right.

"But back to you and your actions," Benen shifted his weight back to both legs with his lips pursed and eyebrows raised. Finn nodded and scuffed the toe of his boot in the dirt. "It doesn't matter who wrongs you or those you love. There is a proper way to confront an enemy-"

"Allie's an enemy now?" The question popped out of Finn's mouth before he remembered thinking it. He glanced around the trees sheepishly.

Benen sighed patiently. "In general, someone who wrongs you would be labeled an enemy, yes?" Finn nodded in understanding. "Right then. Let's think about it this way. You stomp on one of Adrianna's hair flowers. Is it all right for her to throw your favorite dagger into the ocean as repayment?"

"No!" Finn scowled.

"Then if a woman treats someone you love with contempt, is it all right to spit in her face?"

Finn's scowl deepened. "No."

"Why?"

Finn thought about it. "I guess because… I'm not any better if I degrade her like that."

"Exactly." Benen nodded. "Her actions were inexcusable, but you can't change her. You can only confront her."

"But if you can't change her then what's the point?"

"Sometimes there isn't a point, if you can't change them."

"So let her get away with what she did?" Finn asked incredulously.

Benen smiled patiently. "My father once told me that silence is acceptance. Simply telling someone that what they did is wrong is enough. They won't necessarily change, but if the one time you brought to their attention that _you_ did not appreciate what they did and that person _did_ change, wasn't it worth it to speak up that one time?"

Finn blinked before slowly nodding. The concept was becoming clear. He couldn't change everybody. He couldn't change most people, in fact. But simply putting his opinion out there wasn't a bad thing at all. His responsibility could only be in his methods of confrontation.

"So," Benen interrupted his pondering silence. "What did we learn today?"

"That spitting people in the face is not the right way to confront people."

Benen raised an eyebrow at the smirking boy. "Anything else?"

Finn shrugged. "Just that you are probably the best teacher ever."

Benen chuckled and slung an arm over the boy's shoulders, leading him back toward the village. "You still have much to learn, Fearless Finn. But you will be a great chief one day. I'd stake my life on it."

"No need for drastic measures." Finn nudged the man in the ribs with his elbow.

"Cheeky boy," Benen pinched Finn's cheek.

"Owww!" Finn squirmed out of his hold while Benen laughed.

"Ahh one last thing," Benen placed his hands on Finn's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Don't be afraid of pain. Your mother and sister may need a man's assistance now and then with your father. If something was to happen and he can't walk again, you have to be willing to help at all costs."

"Was… was the kick that serious?"

Benen shook his head. "No, I think he'll be fine. But the point still stands: don't be afraid to help your family when they're physically hurt. It's not the same as on Maero."

Finn tried to keep his face from drooping in melancholy. Instead he nodded in reply. "Yeah I… I should see if mom needs me to pick up any eggs or something. You never know what we might need I guess."

"Good lad." Benen smiled as the boy trudged back to the village in silence, twigs cracking under his boots.

"Oh, Benen?" Finn whirled around suddenly.

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

Benen smiled broadly at the boy's back. He knew deep in his soul that one day Fearless Finn Haddock would be a good man, just like his father and grandfather before him. But he could only hope and pray that in his long journey to get there, Finn would have more pain and more struggle. It wouldn't be fun, easy or the young man's idea of learning, but if Benen knew anything, it was that great men were forged in fire and it was the privilege of lesser men to light the flame.

* * *

Finn observed his father from across the square with a pensive expression, not paying attention to how he chewed on his finger in nervousness. Hiccup had finally left the house a little after lunch time. Finn had come downstairs for breakfast early (as he always did) and sure enough, his father was still asleep on the couch. His mother had insisted that he sleep on the couch instead of walk on his leg up the stairs; Hiccup argued that their bed was more comfortable. They squabbled—mom won.

Mom _always_ won.

As Finn ate his porridge, he had ambled through the living room and watched his father sleep. He had always thought his father's hair looked funny in the morning, a puffy auburn mop that only an early morning flight could tame. Finn tensed when his dad mumbled something irritably and turned over, his stump peeking out of one corner of his blanket.

Naturally, Finn's eyes were glued to it. He'd never really thought much about his father's missing leg—it had been gone for longer than he'd been around after all. It was normal and natural to see. But seeing Allie kick it and seeing him in so much pain yesterday… it kind of hit home.

It couldn't be easy to lose a limb. A lot of older folk like Gobber had some missing limbs, a living testament of the old age of dragon and Viking wars. Finn suddenly realized his father was one of the youngest in the village to have a missing limb… it was a rarity to find someone younger than that.

The deep scars turned white with time became more apparent the longer he stared. The boy looked down at his own leg and pondered the mental image of a metal and wooden contraption in place of a foot. He wiggled his toes expertly, wondering what it was like not to have them. He wondered if his dad thought about it much. Did he miss his toes?

Finn had scoffed at that thought when his mother emerged from the upstairs, eyeing him critically. The boy smiled sheepishly, finished his porridge and gave Astrid a swift kiss on the cheek before leaving the house.

Now, at nearly three in the afternoon, his father was talking to Gobber and Horst in the square about some important chiefly things. Finn couldn't help but notice every shift of his father's weight onto his right leg, every minor shudder through the shortened left limb. And his father's every attempt at covering the wince that would cross his face.

Finn had to hand it to him—his father was handling it well. He was sure that over fifteen years of living with three and a half limbs gave you lots of experience in handling the pain and pressure. His father didn't seem to be too upset overall, or even concerned at what others might think of him showing pain. He'd held himself together in the arena as he'd left, but now he didn't care. Again, Benen was right—maybe his father really only cared about the opinions of those who _really_ mattered.

Finn huffed in boredom, watching as Erick hefted a roll of new leather inside his shop. He wondered if the guy ever got bored making saddles all day… Though he supposed if he had, he'd probably have quit by now.

Standing from his seat perched on an upturned wooden crate, Finn waltzed through the hustle and bustle of people. The games wouldn't start for another few hours and the daily practice with the coaches had ended an hour ago (his sister seemed to have been banned but he pretended this didn't bother him). Thornado was taking a snooze before the games commenced, so flying was out. None of his friends were doing anything interesting. Thor forbid he ask Adrianna what she was doing right now—she was probably picking new flowers in the fields instead of practicing her axe lifting.

Finn walked toward the sloped wooden gangplank that led toward the docks. He paused in confusion when he saw a group of Outcast boys hauling in a net from a small boat. Apparently they'd gone fishing. A small aqua-fluorescent blue mass struggled within the net and the group of boys seemed to be having some fun with it. Finn's eyes narrowed as he jogged down the descent to investigate. When he arrived, he pushed past a few boys and gasped.

A baby Scauldron had wrapped itself tight among the netting and only struggled and twisted with squeaks of terror while the boys laughed on. One boy had a stick and even poked it in the side!

Finn's instinctive love for dragons took over and he shoved the boy back. "Hey, stop that! You'll hurt it!" Slowly getting on his knees, he held a hand out toward the shaking creature. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you-"

"Oooh the son of the dragon master is going to make friends with the mighty sea monster! Show us your powers, oh great one!" The boy with the stick mocked. Most of the boys laughed; the few who didn't watched in wonder.

Finn gritted his teeth but forced himself to not retaliate and focus on the dragon instead. He remembered his father telling him that Scauldrons grew to be massive creatures when they reached adulthood. They could spray boiling water at their targets with great precision and were quite venomous. That was one of his favorite stories his father told him as a little boy.

The Scauldron hissed and tried to move away from his hand. "It's okay… here, I'm going to help you, see?" The young dragon watched with narrowed eyes as the redhead pulled the net off its tail. Finn carefully allowed the creature to sniff his hand before it warbled happily. In seconds the dragon hopped toward him as best it could and allowed him to pull the rest of the netting away.

The Outcast boys gaped when the baby Scauldron hopped into his lap and nuzzles his face. Finn laughed, scooping the creature up in his arms. "You're a nice little guy, aren't you? Yes you are!" The dragon purred when he scratched under its chin.

"Okay… I didn't see that coming." The boy tossed his stick into the water and looked at Finn sheepishly. "Sorry."

Finn frowned. "Don't tell me sorry. Tell him you're sorry." The Scauldron hissed at him in response and the boy jumped. "Dragons are amazing creatures. You shouldn't catch them and then torture them."

"Oh, he got caught accidentally!" The boy sputtered. "Honest, we didn't mean to catch him."

"But you still didn't let him go." Finn muttered, standing up with the dragon in his arms. "I'm going to take him to my dad and ask what we should do with him. I'd feel bad just dumping him back into the water." Without waiting for a response, he walked back down the docks to find his father.

From above, Gobber leaned against the railing with an impressed look. Interrupting Hiccup and Horst's conversation, he crowed, "Well would ya look at that! Looks like your boy is the next legendary dragon whisperer."

Hiccup and Horst also leaned over the rail to look at Finn making his way toward the ascending wooden rails. The chief's eyebrows rose when he realized the small dragon he held was not a terror, but a baby Scauldron. A very young baby Scauldron, possibly only a few days hatched.

"Here now, what's that?" A fellow villager piped from down the rails. Hiccup pulled his eyes away from his son to follow the villager's pointed finger. He looked back down toward the water, not far from Finn and tensed at the ripples below the surface.

"What is that?" Gobber asked in wonder.

Hiccup's eyes widened when the waters began to churn. "Finn… Finn!" Hiccup sprinted down the rails, ignoring the pain in his leg as he went. He could see his son just reaching the bottom of the rails; he could see the baby dragon watching the water beside it with excited squeaks; he could hear Finn trying to calm the dragon down. "FINN! PUT IT DOWN!"

Finn's eyes snapped up a moment too late. "What-"

Water shot upwards in a giant wave beside the dock, dousing Finn and Hiccup. The villagers of both tribes crowded along the rails above in shock. The group of Outcast boys cried out in fear, huddled in a group at the end of the dock. Hiccup skidded to a stop halfway to the bottom, his prosthetic slipping on the wet wood. He slid a few feet and managed to stop, his eyes never leaving the sight of his only son staring an angry mother Scauldron full in the face.

Her wings flared outward, her lips peeled back in a sneer of rage. The baby Scauldron chirped up at her in greeting and the mother huffed at it angrily. The pup shrank in Finn's arms, fully admonished. Finn's eyes were wide with amazement but mostly fear. He knew Scauldrons were big… but this thing was _massive_. She was easily thirty feet tall and fifty feet long…

"Finn…" Hiccup gently called and her great head swung to him instantly. Hiccup held out his hand and tucked his head low, baring his neck openly to show her dominance. The great creature huffed at him dismissively after a minute and slowly swung her head back to face the young man holding her pup. Hiccup gently tried again. "Finn… you have to give him back."

Finn gulped. "No duh."

Hiccup licked his lips. "Buddy, listen to me very carefully okay? I want you to maintain eye contact but get down on your knees." Finn wanted to object but obeyed, the knees of his pants slick against the wood. "Now very, _very_ slowly, put the baby on the deck in front of you." Finn moved to bend his head. "Keep eye contact. Don't look away from her… That's it. Easy…"

The baby Scauldron sat in front of Finn's knees, looking between Finn and its mother. Raising its head, the baby barked at its mother once. She huffed at the pup, jerking her head downwards. The baby licked Finn's face quickly before diving into the water. He popped back up beside his mother a few moments later.

But the mother didn't move. She continued to stare at Finn intensely so he gulped again. "Dad? Now what?"

Hiccup watched the Scauldron curiously, trying to figure out why she hadn't left yet. "She's trying to figure you out."

"Is that a good thing or-" The Scauldron jerked her head hider, the water splashing around her as she jerked. Finn's eyes widened when she seemed to inhale deeply.

Hiccup gasped, expecting the worst. "Finn!"

The Scauldron snapped her great neck toward Finn and roared fully in his face, the great sound sending ripples through the water and echoing across the lands. Finn ground his teeth together and tensed under the great sound, his hair blown back against his scalp. When the sound finally died out after what seemed like an eternity, his ears rang and he blinked dazedly.

The first thing he saw was his father standing ten feet away, shaking in fear and white-faced. Then he felt a slick, slimy wet tongue swipe across his left cheek. He felt his thick red hair slick up on one side and he made a face. He stared up at the Scauldron with disgust. "You're welcome."

The dragon chortled and bumped her massive nose against his chest, nearly flinging him onto his back. Finn gasped and gently rested his now very small hand against her nose, staring up at her eyes in amazement.

"Wow…" he breathed.

The familiar step- _thunk_ of his father's footsteps pulled them out of their staring contest of wonder. Dragon and boy looked over at Hiccup, who was staring at Finn with a look of pride (though he still looked a little shaken). The dragon leaned her head toward him and he patted her nose. She sniffed him then jerked her head at Finn, a low moan resonating in her long neck.

Hiccup smiled. "Yep," he looked back at Finn. "He's mine. Thank you for sparing him."

The mother huffed her thanks, blowing Hiccup's hair backwards as her baby leaped back onto the deck to douse Finn with dragon kisses. The mother moaned warningly while Hiccup laughed. Footsteps echoed down the plank and Hiccup turned around. Astrid slowly approached, her face full of wonder and worry. He could make out Adrianna staring at the scene with wide eyes just behind her. He held up a hand to signal her to stay back. The Scauldron took one look at Finn's approaching mother and understood the sentiment. Rumbling low in her throat, she called her young back to the water.

Finn sighed, petting the Scauldron in his lap. "Well I didn't expect to make a new friend today. Come back sometime, okay?" The pup squeaked and licked his face again. Finn wiped his face when the dragon dove back into the ocean. The mother again blew hot air into his face before she turned and disappeared back into the deep.

The claps of all the watching villagers resounded from above but a pair of strong arms engulfed Finn before he could look. At first he thought it was his mother, but the embrace was in fact from his father.

"Finn, you scared me to death…" Hiccup murmured into his hair.

Finn's face fell, again surprised by his father's emotion in so little time. "I'm fine, dad. Really."

Hiccup stood up, ruffling his hair. "Oh, I know. You almost didn't need me."

"Ahh I probably would've been eaten if you hadn't come. GAH! MOOOOM!" The boy cried from within his mother's tight embrace.

"Fearless Finn Haddock, don't you _ever_ do something like that again! Do you want to give me gray hair and wrinkles?" Astrid scolded.

"You'd still be beautiful, so why would it matter?"

Hiccup guffawed and Astrid pulled Finn back with narrowed eyes. "Hiccup, we have spawned an evil genius." Hiccup laughed harder at Finn's disgusted face.

"Please don't ever use that term in front of me again." Finn huffed.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Seriously though. Do not do that again."

Finn sighed exasperatedly. "I'm fine."

"Good. Come on then, let's get you cleaned up before the games." Astrid walked Finn back up the plank by his shoulders.

Before following, Hiccup turned toward the small group of Outcast boys walking forward and warily watching the water. He crossed his arms and frowned, "I trust you boys have learned your lesson then?"

All of them nodded, the oldest boy piping, "Yes sir!"

"Good. If she had come to you instead of Finn, I don't think things would've gone very well." The boys nodded in agreement and Hiccup waved them toward the village with a small smile.

Hiccup looked out at the ocean for a moment, mostly to give his leg a few moments of peace. He couldn't help but laugh a little at the past ten minutes—Finn had to have some kind of adventure every day. Although Finn was exactly like his mother in almost every way, the boy probably didn't realize that he had a knack for trouble-making like his father.


	12. I'm Here

Hiccup limped up to his wife and children, trying his best not to wince when his stump seared in pain with each step. Finn and Adrianna's eyes had been on him almost nonstop since the duel. He couldn't show weakness in front of them. The Outcasts didn't matter in the slightest but the last thing he wanted to do was give his children any reason to doubt that he was capable of protecting his family.

Cori and Rosabella, the girls Snotlout and Hiccup had bet on a few days previously, had tied in the games so far. Cori won all the strength based games but Rosabella was much more talented with her dragon. The final part of the competition included both kinds of games so it was a fairly even match. There was no telling who would win. When Hiccup signaled for them to start, the Vikings in the stands tensely watched both girls as they got themselves through each section.

"I don't know why you're bothering to watch." Snotlout said from behind the Hooligan chief just as he sat down. "Cori's already ahead."

"Sure but it's like I said, Rosabella is going to catch up. You just watch. I've never seen anyone so stealthy in my life, and that's including the Terrible Terror Astrid trained all those years ago." Hiccup said, a smirk on his face.

"I can't believe you remember that far back." Astrid muttered to him, causing him to chuckle.

"I always remember your achievements." Hiccup winked at her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Ew!" Finn crinkled his nose in disgust. "How are you so cool and so _gross_ at the same time?"

"It's not gross! It's romantic!" Adrianna retorted irritably. "Now hush and watch the game."

"You're not my mom!" Finn protested.

"No but she's right. Don't ruin the game for everyone. Cheer on Rosabella if you want to make noise." Hiccup patted his son's shoulder.

"Oh great, brainwash your kid into cheering for the person _you_ want to win." Snotlout crossed his arms.

"And why not? You afraid she'll win if enough people cheer for her?" Hiccup laughed at his friend's scowl. "A little less sure of yourself, aren't you?"

"I'm perfectly sure of myself!" Snotlout grumbled. "Tell him, Inga." he nudged the young girl at his side. Her dark hair spun around in an instant as she turned up to face him. "Tell him Cori's going to win."

Inga, who hadn't been paying any attention whatsoever to her father's argument, gave him a blank stare. "Cori's... the bigger one, right?"

"Yes, Cori's the bigger one! I thought you knew this!" Snotlout rounded on her. "Are you not paying attention?"

"Sorry, daddy. It's more fun to play than to watch." Inga shrugged. "Why are you suddenly being so cranky? You weren't like this when we were playing with our dolls."

" _Your_ dolls!" Snotlout exclaimed, his face reddening.

"But I thought you liked Barbie-"

"I... we'll talk about this later." Snotlout said over Hiccup's guffaws. "And I'm not being cranky!" he huffed. "I just thought you liked Thawfest as much as me. As much as all the Jorgensons."

"I just like to win." Inga said amiably before leaning forward and engaging Finn in conversation.

"Well it's nice to know she inherited _that_ aspect of the Jorgenson spirit." Snotlout mumbled.

"You get what you get. Your kids were never going to be little versions of you. Thor help us all if they were." Hiccup chortled.

"It'd be a bigger disaster if _your_ kids were both exactly like you." Snotlout glanced at Adrianna, who had apparently decided that the game wasn't exciting enough to keep her attention and had her nose in the spaceman book. "Well... _more_ like you than they already are."

"Look! The girls just got to their dragons!" Astrid piped up. "Cori's losing her lead."

"What?" Snotlout shouted, raising his head so that he could see over Hiccup's. "Not possible! Well... Rosabella's just getting lucky."

"Is she?" Hiccup watched her flight through narrowed eyes. "Better start preparing yourself for a hearty slap."

"You prepare yourself. Cori is still winning." Snotlout pointed to the girl in front just before Rosabella suddenly went out of sight. "Looks like your champion is throwing the race."

"Give her some more credit." Hiccup put up a hand. "The race isn't over yet."

Cori came around the last bend, hurtling toward the finish line. Snotlout leaned forward so much, his chin bumped up against the back of Hiccup's head. Finally the girl crossed the line. It sounded more like a Thunderdrum had roared behind the Hooligan chief's head than his friend cheering.

"I knew it!" Snotlout howled gleefully. "Haha, I win!"

Before Hiccup could react, a massive hand came out of seemingly nowhere and knocked him in the direction of his daughter. Adrianna barely had time to get out of the way before her father's weight came crashing down where she had just been sitting. Hiccup groaned in pain as he sat up, a red, hand-shaped mark forming on his face. A confused scowl joined it moments later.

" _Why_ would you do that?" he whined as the children around him tittered nervously.

"I won the slap bet!" Snotlout exclaimed almost maniacally. "In your face!"

"Yes, I can feel it in my face, thank you." Hiccup growled, his hand caressing the angry red mark.

"That was _awesome_!" Tuffnut guffawed from a few seats over. "I've only ever seen hand-prints like that on Ruff's face! Snotlout, you just got so much cooler."

"Yeah, you gotta show me how to do that next time Tuff does something stupid." Ruffnut added, looking at her friend in awe.

"It's all in the shoulders." Snotlout flexed his muscles.

"Daddy, look!" Adrianna quickly stood up and pointed to the ring.

Quite suddenly, Rosabella appeared from the other end of the arena, a triumphant smirk on her face. It took several seconds for the Hooligans to figure out that she had, apparently, managed to find a shortcut and had flown in well before Cori had arrived, hiding herself so deftly, no one had noticed her. Hiccup's injured face broke into a smile. Snotlout's, on the other hand, fell dramatically.

"No..." he said in horror. "No..."

"Ohhh yes." Hiccup grinned. "I told you she was stealthy!"

"No! She cheated!" Snotlout wailed. "I demand a rematch!"

"She won fair and square!" Hiccup chortled. "Which means _I_ won the slap bet!"

"And yet a slap occurred without the permission of the slap bet commissioner." Tuffnut patted Adrianna on the shoulder. "Which means you have penalty slaps to distribute!"

Snotlout suddenly hid behind his daughter. "You wouldn't hit an innocent little girl!"

"Daddy, what are you doing?" Inga asked, raising an eyebrow. "You said Jorgensons never retreat and never surrender."

"I say a lot of things." Snotlout said dismissively. "Be merciful, Anna!"

"For hitting my daddy?" Adrianna rolled her eyes and thought about this for a moment, a tiny smile flitting across her face. "I'm going to give you a choice. Either eight slaps all in a row right now or four slaps that can be distributed at any point in time from now to eternity."

"Ooh, good one!" Tuffnut exclaimed excitedly. "You should take the eight now."

"No way, why take eight when you can get only four?" Astrid asked, speaking up at last.

"Because the constant fear that at any moment you could get slapped in the face, that would drive you crazy." Ruffnut explained. "I'd know, growing up with _him_." she smacked her brother on the shoulder.

"I'm going to go with the four for eternity." Snotlout said after a moment's consideration.

"Good call." said Astrid, winking at Hiccup.

" _Horrible_ call." Ruffnut and Tuffnut said in unison.

Hiccup suddenly leaned back to stretch his muscles before he had to stand up. Snotlout visibly flinched.

"Hey, relax. I'm just stretching, man, take it easy." Hiccup gently brushed a bit of dirt off of Snotlout's shoulder, causing the Jorgenson to flinch more. "This is going to be _fun_."

Without giving Snotlout a chance to retort, Hiccup stood up, hiding his pained wince, and sauntered forward to congratulate Rosabella and give her the Thawfest medal. Snotlout crossed his arms and scowled.

"It's okay, daddy." Inga said, putting her arms around one of his and leaning against his shoulder. "At least it wasn't five slaps."

"Yes, thank you." Snotlout's lips twitched but he didn't let the smile cross his face. "I guess things could be worse."

"And I'll still love you even if Mr. Hiccup leaves a red hand-print on your face forever." the girl continued.

Heather breathed a laugh and gently stroked her husband's cheek. "And you're always saying that battle scars bring honor."

"Yeah, yeah." Snotlout said rather loudly over Astrid's laughter, which she hastily turned into a coughing fit. "Rub it in."

"Oh we will." Astrid choked out. "Don't you worry about that."

* * *

The excitement of Thawfest seemed to wash over Adrianna like waves over a seashell dug deeply into the sand. She knew everyone else was affected but she was far too interested in whatever was running through her mind to pay much attention. Not that paying attention to anyone was ever a strength of hers. She never much liked listening to people talk about silly things like axe throwing and statistics on who would win or, well, _anything_ like that. So she was quite relieved when the day's games were over because it gave her much more quiet and more quiet meant more reading.

However, the Haddock girl's first mistake that day was in choosing to read underneath a nice big tree on the outskirts of the village. Her other mistake was to allow her dragon to go flying off without her for a bit. This left her rather vulnerable. She didn't notice this, probably because she was reading about a man from space with a time machine that was bigger on the inside. If he and his companions were safe from the monsters of the universe, she felt safe from the outside world.

Unfortunately, what she was reading was so engrossing, she didn't notice the giggling growing louder or the fact that she was surrounded by the other girls from her group (minus Taryn). However, her keen eyes noticed the change in lighting and she looked up.

"What are you doing?" she asked, a knot forming in her stomach.

"Watching you read." Jillian said, crossing her arms. "What does it look like we're doing?"

"Why?" Adrianna raised an eyebrow.

"It's weird." Dana suddenly snatched the book out of Adrianna's hands and flipped it in front of her face. "It doesn't even have any pictures!"

"It doesn't need pictures!" Adrianna retorted, reaching up for the book, which Dana held out of her reach. "You're supposed to use your imagination."

"Why would you read about cool stuff when you could just _do_ cool stuff?" Morgan asked with a chortle. "It's so stupid."

"Why learn to read if you're not going to read?" Adrianna remarked dryly.

"Duh, you have to read so you know what the laws are or how to do stuff books tell you to do." Dana rolled her eyes. "Not just silly fairy tales."

"Storybooks tell you how to do different kinds of things like how to live your life." Adrianna stood up and tried to grab the book from Dana, who hopped back a few steps. "Once you can read, you can have every adventure you ever dreamed of. You can... you can go to a school to learn magic or fly away in a box that's bigger on the inside. In those pages, there are no limits to where you can go, who you can be. No one will ever tell you you're too young to save the day because it happens right here where it's safe." the girl gritted her teeth at the amused expression on Dana's face in response to her words. "Please give me my book!"

"No way; I think I'm going to take your advice!" Dana giggled, opening the book in the middle and grasping one of the pages.

"N-no! Dana don't!" Adrianna wailed. "It's the only storybook I own!"

"I think I'll save this page for later!" Dana laughed and ripped it out of the book, crumpling it and sending it fluttering to the ground. "This one too!"

The redheaded girl began tearing page after page from the book, the other girls' guffaws echoing in Adrianna's ears. The Haddock girl rushed at Dana but the other girl was too quick for her. She tossed the book to Morgan, who ripped out a few more pages, finally tossing it to Jillian when Adrianna got too close. Around the circle it went until the ground was littered with pages. Tears began to form under Adrianna's eyelids but she blinked and kept them at bay.

"There, now it's worth reading." Dana chortled along with the other girls. "Maybe you can use all the magic you learned to put it back together."

"I... I could just glue it." Adrianna mumbled, bending down and picking up the crumpled pages.

"Yeah, you should. And while you're at it, why don't you stick your stupid book to your stupid head?" Jillian shrieked with laughter as she and the the other girls finally retreated.

As Adrianna picked up the pages of her book, a single warm tear made its way down her face and dropped onto her lap. She sniffled and wiped it away as she finally collected all the pages, hugging them to her chest as she walked back home, her head down so that no one would be able to see several more tears trickle down her cheeks.

When she got home, she was relieved to find herself alone in the house. She pounded up the stairs to her room, accidentally kicking one of Finn's practice axes into her room as she did so, and gingerly placed the papers and the covers of the book on her desk. Then she turned and threw herself, face first, onto her bed. She raised her fist and angrily pounded it on the pillow once, twice, thrice... and then raised her head, eyes glazing over slightly as the final part of her story suddenly popped into her head.

"One day while he was on a foreign island, the escapologist received word that a young girl had gone missing and that a note had been left in her place. Consumed with rage that the evil sister had taken another victim, he immediately flew to the island on a borrowed dragon. He couldn't find the sister's hiding place until dusk. When he finally touched down next to the sister's hut, he could hear the cries of a little girl." Adrianna suddenly got out of bed and grabbed Mr. Gobcup from her nightstand. "Though it had been years since he had seen his little girl, he couldn't help but hope that she was the one he was hearing." she rushed up to her bedroom door and slammed her hands against it. "And so he smashed the door open!"

She took a few steps back and allowed the door to open in her imagination before continuing, now getting down on her knees.

"He looked into the face of the little girl and for a moment, he saw his own little girl. The same sad, lonely gaze. But it wasn't her. However, the escapologist just happened to look enough like that little girl's father that it wasn't until he was quite close that she realized he wasn't the man she thought he was." she looked into Mr. Gobcup's face, disappointment suddenly washing over her. She bit her lip for a moment before continuing. "Overcome with compassion for the little who had been kidnapped and for her worried parents, the escapologist tried to open the cage in which she was kept. 'Don't cry, little girl.' he said as he opened it. 'I won't let anything happen to you. You have nothing to fear and nothing can hurt you. I'm here.' he assured her."

Adrianna held up Mr. Gobcup and stared into his eyes, a flash of anger piercing her soul. "But as the escapologist tried to open the lock on the cage, an almighty rage grew inside of his great heart! 'This demon! This villain! This monster! Bullying children is her game, is it? Well let us see what this creature thinks she can do when the wrath of a grown man stands before her!"

Adrianna suddenly dropped Mr. Gobcup to the ground and grasped the practice axe. With a shriek, she brought it down on the doll. Its leather jacket split in half as she continuously pounded it. She stopped, taking deep breaths through gritted teeth, and looked up at the wall, almost like she was looking at an invisible audience.

"But that was the last anyone ever saw of the escapologist. Because he never came home. Ever again."

The spell now broken, Adrianna looked down at her doll... and her insides froze. Inside the leather jacket was the back of the doll, which was now exposed. Except it wasn't white like it had been before. A dark brown stain covered its back. And only one substance could leave a stain like that.

The little girl quickly snatched the doll from the ground and immediately thought back to when this blood could have gotten on the doll _underneath_ the leather suit. Suddenly, it hit her. Hadn't her father made the doll an outfit for one of her birthdays?

A sudden desperation to find her father overwhelmed her. She needed an explanation. Grabbing Mr. Gobcup by the hook, she rushed out of her room and pounded back down the stairs. With each step, more memories flooded her brain. It had been days before she had gotten Mr. Gobcup back and her father had sewn the outfit on him so that she couldn't take it off without a lot of effort. The blue nightie the doll used to wear had disappeared.

And this all happened when her father had been so hurt, he had nearly died.

She finally found Hiccup limping up to the house and leaning on Toothless. He smiled as she approached.

"Hey, Addie, did you want to read a bit more of... Addie, what are you-" Hiccup looked down at his daughter, who immediately unbuckled his flight suit when she got to him. Then he noticed Mr. Gobcup in her hands, the brown bloodstain quite visible on its back. "Addie, tell me what's going on."

"Why is there blood on my doll? Adrianna asked, her eyes wide with fear. "How... how did it get there? Is it yours?"

"Addie..." Hiccup gently took her hands in his and pushed them away. "Let me show you."

He opened his flight suit and pulled down the neck of his shirt to reveal the nasty scar over his heart. Adrianna let out a gasp and put her hands over her mouth.

"Do you remember when I had to leave to fight Dagur? When I said I might not come back?" he asked softly. Adrianna nodded. "You put Mr. Gobcup over my heart. I took him into battle that way."

Sensing where this was going, Adrianna took a step back, overwhelmed with emotion. Hiccup leaned forward and gently grasped one of her shoulders.

"Dagur tried to kill me so many times. But he couldn't." he tugged Mr. Gobcup from her fingers and placed it over the scar.

Tears spilled out of the girl's eyes. "He... saved you."

Hiccup let the doll slip out of his fingers and land on the ground. He grasped his daughter's shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. He could feel her shaking in his arms.

"You saved me, Addie." he whispered. "I didn't want to tell you because I just... I didn't want you to think about how close I came to dying that day."

"That's why you wouldn't let me see your scars." Adrianna whimpered into his shoulder. "Did... did you kill him, daddy? Did you kill Dagur?"

Hiccup hesitated before sighing deeply. "Yes, Addie. I did." he gently pushed her back by the shoulders. "I didn't want to. And it very nearly ruined everything a few years ago."

"That's what you were having nightmares about." Adrianna wiped a few tears with the back of her hand but there was no keeping up with the wave of fresh tears that quickly followed them.

"Yes." Hiccup reached up and attempted to wipe still more tears away with his thumbs. "I had to protect you. That's all that mattered in the end. I barely survived, Addie. He almost killed me." he smiled and shook his head. "But I couldn't leave my baby. I had to see her again. I had to be there for her no matter what."

"So you killed someone?" Adrianna sniffled loudly.

"Listen to me." Hiccup looked his daughter in the eye. "Life is sacred and to take it is a horrible thing. But if I hadn't taken that one life, if I hadn't done that heinous, disgusting thing, I assure you that not only would I have died but so would you and everyone we love. I can't always protect my people the way I want. But it's my job as chief." Hiccup reached up and brushed his daughter's bangs from in front of her eyes. "A chief protects his own. And so does a parent."

Adrianna remained silent for a few seconds, processing the words she had just heard. Hiccup drew her into his arms again, holding her tightly.

"Don't cry, Addie. Please don't cry." he whispered into her ear. "Nothing can hurt you, baby. You've nothing to fear. I'm here."


	13. The Games Begin

Morgan Sigmund thought the award ceremony for the older Thawfest competitors was a waste of time and she wasn't afraid to sigh loudly and poke her mother in the hopes that she would allow the family to leave early. Morgan's mother, however, was a proper Viking and proper Vikings believe that their community is their extended family. For that reason, she wasn't too keen on being interrupted while cheering on members of her community.

"Pipe down." she snapped at the girl after a few seconds. "The other girls are sitting still, why aren't you?"

"I'm _bored_." Morgan whined. "I don't even know Rosabella." she added as she watched Hiccup present the older girl with the medal. "Please let me go home."

"None of the other girls are wiggling around like you." Morgan's mother chided. "Adrianna's a calm as can be. Now sit still."

" _Perfect_ Adrianna." Morgan muttered darkly.

It was a funny thing about grown-ups, the fact that they really liked comparing their children to each other. Morgan hated being told to act like another child and she especially hated it when she overheard her parents talk proudly about a well behaved child. It was like she didn't even exist at all. At least until someone needed a good lecture. Then there was nowhere she could go to escape. Taryn was good company when she felt neglected but the girl had no backbone at all. It was better than being perfect all the time. Every other day, it seemed that some grown-up was telling her to be more mature, more quiet, more polite like the chief's daughter. And _that_ is why Morgan Sigmund detested Adrianna Haddock with every fiber of her being.

Of course Adrianna didn't know this. It was fun to watch her struggle to fit in all the while knowing that she wouldn't succeed. It was even more fun to intentionally snub her and watch that brain, the one everyone praised for its intelligence, whir away inside her head and come up with nothing. Taryn, on the other hand, only went along with this because Morgan was quite popular with the other girls and no one wanted to be outside the popular group. Least of all someone who should have some amount of respect as part of the chief's clan. But Adrianna was so weird that it wasn't hard at all to exclude her. And Taryn was average in just about every way so she didn't bring the group down at all.

Morgan stared down a few rows at the girl in question, watching as she sighed deeply when Jacobi was awarded the Thawfest medal. Honestly, sometimes it seemed like she was a hundred miles away but now, she appeared to be quite focused. She had a silly looking blue flower in her hair today, different from her usual purple ones, and it was so exposed that Morgan considered snatching it and seeing how long it would take for the Haddock girl to notice. Probably not long. She was sitting next to the leather shop boy Erick. Morgan didn't know Erick very well but his association with the enemy in addition to the fact that he was almost as spacey as her made him almost as bad. And he wasn't the type of boy to snitch but he was the type to get all self righteous about right and wrong and demand the flower back. And then Morgan's mother would get involved and it meant another lecture. So stealing the flower was out of the question.

Now that she was eyeing Erick, she noticed something very strange. The boy wasn't at all focused on the ceremony. His eyes seemed to be constantly shifting to Adrianna, drinking in her appearance and even marveling at the way those blonde locks glistened in the sun. Erick, Morgan realized, was _smitten_ with the girl. It wasn't unexpected, she had heard adults joke about planning their wedding quite often, but it was a bit out of the blue. How long had this lasted? And, more importantly, was there something _she_ could do about it?

The ceremony suddenly ended. Morgan had been focused on Erick for so long, she hadn't noticed the time passing and it was her exasperated mother poking her in the back and telling her to get up that reminded her of her earlier impatience.

"Like I said, it was boring." she said as she waited to walk across the bridge.

"Well at least you were quiet for a time." Morgan's mother replied irritably. "And you will behave in the next ceremony or I will think about taking you out of Thawfest for good."

 _Oh no_ , Morgan thought with a smirk, _she's thinking again. I'm trembling in my boots._

Morgan's mother talked about all kinds of punishments but never delivered on them. It was something Morgan liked quite a bit because it meant that she could get away with anything as long as she didn't mind sitting through the lectures, which could be quite lengthy.

A red haired girl finally caught up with her and grabbed her arm. Morgan jumped and turned to look at her. Dana looked annoyed about something but Morgan got the feeling that she wasn't about to find out.

"We have to talk." Dana said solemnly. "Now."

"All right already." Morgan followed her away from the crowd. "What's so important?"

"My mom's an idiot, that's what." Dana growled.

"What did she do?" Morgan asked, genuinely bewildered.

"She decided to move here." Dana sighed deeply before continuing. "She wants a fresh start after dad died. Or something like that. I don't know. Looks like I'll be stuck here."

"Well that's not so bad. You and I get along." Morgan reminded her.

Dana rolled her eyes. "I just... don't want to... why am I telling you? I don't even know you!"

Morgan shrugged. "You came to me."

As Dana stomped off, looking very upset, Morgan couldn't help but think that things were about to get better. Taryn was so very dull but a girl her age who was so much like her, if not a bit more fiery, would make a good ally. Or a friend. Whichever worked best.

* * *

The morning of the first day of the Thawfest games, at least for Finn and Adrianna's age range, was a flurry of activity. The games would take place that afternoon but there was a lot of last minute training. Everyone was excited about that day. Everyone, that is, except for Adrianna. But she feigned it as she descended the staircase on the way to breakfast. As usual, she was up a bit later than the rest of the family, but this was partially because she put work into her appearance. She had braided her long blonde hair so that, when she turned her back, one might confuse her for a younger Astrid. Hiccup suddenly felt very nostalgic.

The girl's father and brother sat at the table while her mother stood in the kitchen. Quietly, she slid into her seat at the table and began to eat, her eyes focused on her food.

"I think I can beat the other boys at the events." Finn stood up from his seat. "I mean I've practiced and trained." he sat back down. "And I didn't think they were that hard. But then again, I guess I could slip up." once more, he raised to his feet. "But only if someone else tripped me, which would be against the rules." he returned to his seat. "And Thornado has experience flying with other dragons so the dragon events won't be much of a problem." the boy stood back up.

"I can tell you're excited, buddy." Hiccup dove his spoon into the bowl and looked up at his smiling son. "But if you don't eat your breakfast, you're going to run out of energy and then you _won't_ win."

Finn sighed in exasperation and leaned over his bowl to eat, not bothering to sit back down. Hiccup breathed a laugh at his son's enthusiasm. The boy really was quite fun to watch when he was excited about something.

"Okay, champ, maybe you should stay seated." Hiccup stated, shaking his head in amusement as his son obeyed. He then turned to his daughter. "You're being quiet this morning. You okay?"

"Huh?" Adrianna dropped her spoon in the bowl with a clatter, spilling its contents on the place-mat. She grabbed a towel to clean it up, quite used to her and her father's clumsiness by now. "I'm fine. Just a little nervous. I don't know what events they've got planned this year."

"Shouldn't be too difficult. There's the archery, the log roll, and a new one I'm not allowed to tell you about. But it's a little dangerous so be sure to wear a helmet." Hiccup tapped the girl on the head. "You'll be just fine."

Adrianna wished she could be reassured but it was rather difficult when hundreds of eyes would be fixed on her in a matter of hours.

The last training session before the games was required so Adrianna and Lily walked to the arena as inconspicuously as they could (though with a Monstrous Nightmare, being inconspicuous wasn't easy). Adrianna sat down and shut her eyes, blocking out all noise.

And then it came over her again, just as it had last time. _Quiet_. Not silence exactly, but a warm, comfortable feeling of complete serenity. She'd found her weapon against the girls who mocked her and the trainer who periodically glared at her. Rather than fight, she could just _relax_.

The one drawback to this was the fact that she heard absolutely none of the lesson. And it was most unfortunate for her that the information presented was life saving and thus vitally important. Then again, the glares and whispered insults were also ignored so there was a bright side to this, at least until the actual competition.

The girls competed first in the Thawfest games, followed by the boys. Finn felt incredibly antsy and disliked waiting for the girls to finish so he paced around the stands. Meanwhile, Hiccup watched as they rolled out the log and set it up. He didn't like the idea of his daughter attempting to stay on it but the ground had a few mats for those Vikings lucky enough to land on them. Safety on Berk was never much of a concern.

The first thing Adrianna thought as she stood atop the log waiting for it to start rolling was that she should have stayed in bed. There was no second thought because the moment the log began to roll, she lost her footing and was the first to be thrown off. This was no surprise to anyone since she was clumsy on the best of days but it was quite embarrassing nonetheless. Gobber checked to make sure she hadn't been knocked out and then steered her to the nearby benches so she could watch the rest of the girls. Feeling slightly dazed, Adrianna watched as Taryn fell, bringing Jillian down with her. Only Dana and Morgan remained so the Haddock girl quickly lost interest. In fact, she was so wrapped up in her inner world that she hadn't noticed when one of the girls finally fell off and the game had a winner. Nor did she even notice who it was that won.

The boys' competition was quite a bit more exciting. Finn and the other boys stayed atop the log for nearly a minute before two Outcast boys fell, soon followed by Cliff. It was Finn, Thorein, and a third Outcast boy, whose name Adrianna didn't know, who remained. The Outcast soon fell as well. Now it was Finn and Thorein.

"GO FINN!" called a person from the crowed whose voice neither Finn nor Adrianna recognized.

"YOU CAN DO IT, THOREIN!" called Thorein's fans.

There was a bit of an argument between the groups of people supporting each boy. Adrianna enjoyed watching the verbal tussle, shaking her head at the stupidity of it all. By the time she turned back to the log, only one boy remained. Thorein's fans cheered loudly as the log stopped rolling and Finn stumbled to the bench.

"I can still win this." he said confidently to anyone who would listen.

Setup for the next event was a lot quicker. Adrianna was good at archery and now that Tarry wasn't in charge, she was permitted to shoot left handed, which felt much more natural. The girls lined up and Adrianna had the enormous misfortune to end up between Dana and Jillian.

"You're doing it wrong." Jillian muttered to her.

"No I'm not." Adrianna smirked the tiniest bit. This was something she could win.

"Yes you are." Dana repeated just as they were given permission to shoot. "Can't you do anything right?"

Adrianna knew that Dana's words shouldn't pierce her the way they did. She knew that Dana didn't matter at all. But it's one thing to know things in your head and another thing entirely to know them in your heart. And Adrianna's heart began to pound with suppressed anger. Unfortunately for her, her anger also made her arms shake. And that is how Adrianna missed the target by a fraction of an inch. Morgan hit it dead center and smiled triumphantly as Hiccup declared her the winner.

Finn wasn't as good at archery as his sister but he was proficient and the other boys were terrible. The moment they heard the signal, six arrows pierced the air and only three even landed on their targets. Finn's arrow was closest to the center and Hiccup beamed as he declared his son the winner.

Only one more task remained. It took a long time to set up but since the ten-year-olds weren't allowed to leave the arena, it was a very boring twenty or thirty minutes. Loud roars punctuated their conversations and made them wonder what on earth they could be setting up.

"All right!" Gobber announced, standing in front of what appeared to be some sort of maze. "A hammer has been placed in the middle of the maze. Whoever finds it first wins. However, there are more than a few obstacles. Now you were taught all about how to deal with them in training this morning so I don't think they should be a problem." he looked pointedly at Adrianna when he said this, only increasing the girl's nervousness.

 _Fantastic_ , thought Adrianna as she positioned herself at the entrance, _the one lesson I should have been listening to and I ignore it completely._

Gobber signaled for them to enter the maze and the six girls immediately did so.

Hiccup watched the spectacle from the highest seat in the arena next to Allie the Insincere. The woman looked almost bored with her chin on her hand and her eyes inspecting her nails instead of the competition. Hiccup felt a surge of frustration but quashed it. His little girl was about to make him proud. The obstacles, of course, were dragons. Crowds of wild Terrible Terrors, wild Nadders and Gronckles and one Monstrous Nightmare. The girls all knew exactly how to deal with all of them so he wasn't as worried as he might have been.

He should have been more worried.

He watched his daughter rush through, first running into the swarm of Terrors. Quick as a flash, his clever little girl distracted them with a shiny light and kept on going. He felt a surge of pride for the tiniest moment. She could win this!

Adrianna was the closest to the hammer in the center of the maze when a gigantic Gronckle suddenly got in her way. The yellow beast didn't look anywhere near as friendly as Meatlug so she suspected belly rubs would be out of the question. It snarled at her, its body ready to pounce. Hiccup tensed. Surely his daughter knew what to do. He had made certain that she and the other kids had been told what to do if they ran into a wild Gronckle.

The first thing you should do if you run across a wild Gronckle is to avert your eyes. Some dragons are more likely to trust you if you look them in the eye. The Changewing and the Gronckle are the two known exceptions. The second thing you should do is to move away from it very slowly. To train a Gronckle, you have to show that you're not a threat. Younger Gronckles tend to be more suspicious than older ones and this one was quite young. Hiccup knew Adrianna knew all this. She had been in training that morning. She was perfectly safe.

But then she did something that made his heart stop pounding entirely. Keeping eye contact, she inched forward and put out her hand. The snarling elevated in volume.

"Addie, no..." Hiccup muttered. It was almost like she was emulating her brother's actions with the Scauldron a few days previously. "Back away... _back away_..."

Most unfortunately for everyone, especially boys, girls cannot read minds. The Haddock girl had no idea her father was attempting to tell her not to do exactly what she was doing. And so Hiccup watched as she crept closer and closer. And then the Gronckle's hindquarters began to wiggle.

"Stop the games!" Hiccup called, standing up and frantically waving his arms.

It was too late. The Gronckle pounced in the direction of the only daughter of Hiccup and Astrid and very nearly flattened her. Fortunately, she had sensed its hostility and jumped back just in time. But it wasn't quite done with her yet. Firing lava blasts from its great mouth, it pursued the child, narrowly missing on several occasions and singing the girl's hair. Adrianna threw both her hands over her head and ran as fast as she could, her helmet flying off her head and landing behind her.

Hiccup ran at full speed toward the entrance to the arena. He knew he couldn't simply jump down, not with an injured leg. His heart pounded in his chest, his paternal instincts taking over his entire being. The only thing that mattered was saving the life of his child. Suddenly, an agonizing pain swept through his entire left leg and it shuddered horribly. Hiccup howled in anger as he fell sideways, now completely unable to support his weight. And if he couldn't support his weight, there was no way he could get to his little girl in time.

Unfortunately for his daughter, his genes won out over Astrid's. Instead of nimbly hopping over a stray axe handle that someone who had been setting up the maze had accidentally left behind, Adrianna's foot fell on it and she lost her balance when it rolled out from under her. The Gronckle leaped at her as her head hit the pavement with a sickening crack.


	14. What Matters

"ADDIE!"

The anguished and terrified cry of a father in distress was haunting to all that heard it, young and old. There were horrified shouts all over the crowd but that sound seemed to permeate everyone's eardrums. His eyes watering with the pain, Hiccup tried to get back up but simply couldn't place any weight on his stump. He could do nothing except drag himself, which hurt almost as much but was at least doable.

Fortunately for him, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who were running up to check on the girl's condition as well, seized the father under the arms and yanked him up, supporting him between the two of them so that he could get down there as fast as possible.

But they soon stopped because something quite surprising happened.

The dragons weren't with their riders in the stands because they were simply too big to all fit. They perched atop cliffs above the arena or flew around. Several didn't even bother to come. But Lily didn't want to miss her rider's activity so she had been watching from far above. When the Gronckle began to pursue the little girl she so liked, it seemed like every ounce of gentleness drained out of her in an instant, leaving only raw power coupled with fury at the hostile dragon. Quick as a flash, she dived toward the arena. And if she had been even one millisecond later, her rider's life would have prematurely ended right there. The large dragon crashed into the Gronckle, attempting to rip it to pieces with her teeth and claws. It howled in pain and one of the most intense dragon fights anyone had ever seen (at least between two trainable breeds) broke out. Lily considered igniting but her rider was a bit too close and she knew that the human's skin wasn't as fireproof as hers.

The humans stood outside the maze, which was beginning to collapse. The other girls' dragons swooped down and retrieved them before all the walls crashed to the ground with a loud racket, leaving only the dragon fight and the tiny girl visible in the wreckage. Miraculously, nothing had fallen on Adrianna so there was no fear of further injury. Assuming she was still alive, of course.

Ordinarily, the Thorston twins would have adored the sight of the dragons ripping into each other but both were rather fond of the Haddock girl and her personal safety trumped their enjoyment of the spectacle. Hiccup tried to pull them forward but his weight on their shoulders made the going slower than any of them would have liked. Meanwhile, Astrid was enlisting all the dragons she could call to help pull Lily and the Gronckle off of each other. Stray blasts of fire flew everywhere. One nearly set Hiccup's hair on fire, another landed mere inches from Adrianna's left hand. And quite a few made it all the way to the spectators outside the arena, igniting Horst's sleeve. The man quickly extinguished the flame with a canteen he kept on his belt but he would later have to be treated for the burn on his arm.

Within seconds, Toothless, Stormfly, Thornado, Hookfang, Meatlug, and Charger all came pelting downwards toward the scene. Toothless arrived first, just in time to dive in front of a lava blast from the Gronckle. Yet again, Adrianna escaped certain death by inches. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Toothless' prosthetic tail, which immediately caught fire and was completely destroyed. Hiccup's heart, which had stopped beating entirely when his daughter was in the path of said lava blast, began to pound in his ears. He tried to pull himself from Ruffnut and Tuffnut but both hung onto him as tightly as they could.

"Let go of me!" he bellowed. "I have to get to Addie-"

"No!" Ruffnut tightened her hold on his arm a bit more, a tiny spark of maternal instinct taking over her brain. "You could get killed."

Charger's behavior was the most surprising of all the enlisted dragons. Erick watched in horror as his Nadder began to join Lily in the fight against the Gronckle. While the other dragons focused on pulling the two dragons apart, Charger seemed to want to protect his rider's friend almost as much as Lily. Erick took off toward the arena to stop his dragon from killing the other or hurting Adrianna in the process.

Hiccup had never felt more useless. Supported by his friends, he watched helplessly as the dragons all fought to protect his child. He desperately wanted to rush over and check to make sure his little girl was even alive. But when he looked over at her, his heart dropped into his stomach.

Adrianna lay still on the pavement. She was on her stomach, her forehead resting on the ground and a tiny pool of blood slowly growing under it. Hiccup desperately prayed to every god he could think of to spare his daughter's life. If he failed to save her, if she died that day, he would never forgive himself.

"Addie..." he whimpered so quietly, even he didn't hear it.

Finally, the dragons had stopped the fight. Gobber rushed forward and shooed the Gronckle away. It flew away, bleeding from several cuts on its back but otherwise unharmed. Lily let out an earsplitting roar as if to warn the Gronckle that if it decided to return, they would resume their fight.

As the dragons were calming down the enraged Monstrous Nightmare and Deadly Nadder, Hiccup suddenly had a burst of adrenaline. He pushed himself away from Ruffnut and Tuffnut and hobbled as fast as he could toward his child. He was just behind Astrid and both fell to their knees next to their daughter's body. Hiccup took her in his arms.

"No, no, no, no, come on, Addie..." he whispered, holding her head close to his chest as Astrid checked her pulse.

Though it only took several seconds, Astrid's search for a pulse seemed to last an eternity. An eerie hush fell over the crowd. Those who knew the Haddocks best held their breath, praying that they wouldn't be burying the child well before her time. Erick trembled, his eyes wide, his heart drumming in his ears. Finn was rigid, teeth gritted together and his stomach in knots.

Astrid let out a shaky sigh. "I have a pulse." she breathed through it.

Hiccup couldn't quite smile but relief swept through him and he relaxed considerably, holding his little girl closer and stroking her hair. His hand was soon wet with her blood, which, as it turned out, had been trickling from a cut on her eyebrow. He used his sleeve to try to wipe it from her face.

At the sight of the girl's parents relaxing and Astrid's small smile, there was a collective sigh of relief in the crowd. Finn's once rigid form suddenly became so shaky he collapsed on the nearest bench. Benen walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Erick reacted similarly, falling to the bench and putting his head in his hand, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden. Olaf wheeled himself next to his son and placed an arm around him, rubbing his shoulder reassuringly.

"It's all right, son." he whispered. "She's okay."

Had anyone been paying attention to the sea of faces in the crowd, they might have noticed that one face fell in disappointment and scowled at the family.

"The Haddocks have more lives than a cat." the person muttered before putting on a fake smile and pretending to be as relieved as everyone else.

Fishlegs soon approached, getting on his knees next to the relieved parents. "We need to get her to a healer. I'll carry her, if you need it."

Hiccup hated his leg more than ever now. He didn't want to let his daughter go. But he nodded and handed her to his friend, who gently lifted her into his arms and began to carry her out of the arena. Ruffnut and Tuffnut helped Hiccup back up so that he could follow.

"Well that was exciting." Allie drawled from the entrance, a horrible smirk on her face as she watched the procession. "We'll be talking about this for years." Finn glared at her, his lips pursed and a plethora of angry retorts rising in his throat. But Benen was at his side and gently squeezed his shoulder. The boy choked them down. "What, no snide remarks?"

"I don't want to waste my time." Finn snapped before turning from her and walking slightly faster, Benen beaming with pride behind him.

* * *

The first thing Adrianna felt when she regained consciousness was a splitting headache. Her eyelids twitched a bit before opening, revealing dim blurs all around her. How had she gotten here? Her brain got to work trying to remember what had happened... and then it all came back. For a moment, she felt paralyzing fear. But then... unless she was in Valhalla, she didn't remember the maze being this dim.

"Hey there, sleepyhead." came a voice to her left. "I was starting to wonder if you'd ever wake up."

She blinked several times to clear her vision and found herself face to face with Erick. Lily and Charger were relaxing behind him, both brightening at the sight of the girl alert and obviously not permanently damaged.

"What... what time is it?" Adrianna asked, sitting up a bit and putting a hand to her head.

"About ten thirty." came a voice to her right. Adrianna turned and took in the sight of her father lying on the bed next to hers, his leg wrapped up in enough bandages to hold several ice packs in place. "You were out for a long time."

She turned back to Erick. "Did Thawfest continue?"

"Yeah. They decided to change the maze into a dragon race and Finn won for the boys according to your mom, who was in about an hour ago to check on you." Erick explained. "She's with Allie filling in for your dad."

"Why are you here?" Adrianna turned back to her father.

"Apparently attempting to put weight on an injury is a bad idea." Hiccup deadpanned. "When you went down, I tried to run in and save you but my leg couldn't take it."

"Oh." the girl paused for a moment to let this sink in. "I'm sorry, daddy."

"No, no... it was my fault. I should have listened to everyone who warned me that this could happen." Hiccup waved a hand. "And now after the Outcasts leave, I get to pass on the majority of my duties to your mother. She's going to be _so_ thrilled."

Astrid was Hiccup's second in command and she took over as chief whenever he was too sick or needed to be in several places at once. She had never covered for him for a long period of time and Hiccup felt slightly guilty at the thought of just how worn out she would be with all the things expected of her. But attempting to do everything on crutches was a recipe for disaster considering his propensity for clumsiness. Once Thawfest was over, he was probably going to have to take it easy for a few weeks. But if it meant making sure his daughter healed up as she was supposed to, it was worth the boredom.

There was a silence in which everyone, dragons included, relaxed a bit in relief now that they knew Hiccup and Adrianna were on the road to recovery. Then Adrianna realized something that made her sit up and whirl her head around to face him, regretting it instantly when her head throbbed.

"But you were supposed to compete next!" she exclaimed. "After my age group... how did it go?"

"I don't know. I didn't show up." Erick shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't want to go and wonder if you'd be okay. I'd probably get myself killed because I wouldn't pay attention to what was going on."

"But... all the training..."

"I don't care about that." Erick rolled his eyes. "I wasn't very good at it anyway. It was a waste of time. Your dad and I have been catching up for the last few hours. He's got some funny stories."

"Oh no!" Adrianna's mouth dropped open. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing embarrassing. Mostly stories about Finn. Like when he and Toothless got covered in mud and then got it all over me."

"Oh..." Adrianna didn't remember that day very well.

"Listen, Erick, Addie's okay now and your family is probably going to want you home soon." Hiccup smiled in a friendly sort of way. "You can come back in the morning but I think we all need to get some rest. Well, _more_ rest."

"Charger needs to get back to the egg anyway. I left Aud's Nadder with it and he's probably going to want a break soon." Erick got up and beckoned for his dragon to follow.

Charger looked a bit disappointed about being separated from Lily, who he seemed to like quite a lot now that they had fought together. However his loyalty to his young won out and he followed his human out of the healer's house.

The moment he and Erick were out of earshot, Hiccup turned to his daughter, who was looking back at him sheepishly.

"Adrianna Miracle Haddock, what in Thor's name were you thinking?" he growled, catching her off guard with his sudden fierceness. "You are lucky to be alive. Why didn't you go to training?"

Never in her memory had her father ever been this angry with her. He had shouted at her a few times, which she didn't like, but this quiet anger was even more intimidating and it made her a bit shaky. She averted his gaze.

"I did go." she said quietly. "I just... didn't listen."

"And why didn't you listen? You know full well that the information in those training sessions are vitally important." Hiccup's voice remained quite intimidating.

"I..."

Adrianna's mouth was open and the words about the bullying and the cruelty and the general unpleasantness of her experiences in training and even outside it were traveling up her throat... but they got stuck somewhere. She stopped, completely bewildered as to why she wasn't spilling everything she was thinking right then and there and getting the hugs and assurances that this would be taken care of that she was used to getting after statements like these. And then something clicked. _She didn't want to tell him_. She _wanted_ to want to. But she simply couldn't. As she sat there, a peculiar feeling washed over her, one she certainly wouldn't have been able to place before this incident. She didn't want her father to know about what happened because a very big part of her didn't believe that he could fix anything. He had made promises before, certainly, but had broken just about all of them. So now it was up to her to fix her own problems, to learn to cope with the world without relying on her parents. In short, she didn't trust him at all anymore. And for a moment, this terrified her.

"It just wasn't very interesting." Adrianna lied. "I'm sorry, daddy."

But she really didn't _feel_ very sorry. How else was she supposed to handle all the nastiness around her if she didn't shut it all out? She was sorry that she had caused such a commotion but she was mostly... _angry_. Angry because if she wasn't so weird, she would have listened to the instructions and may have won that part of the competition. Angry because the only reason she was so weird in the first place was because of her fears and coping mechanisms. And for some reason, that anger was directed toward her father. She didn't quite know why that was but she would have plenty of time to think about it.

Hiccup, unaware that his daughter had made a stunning revelation, continued his tirade, telling her that she had to listen to those in authority and that her near death experience would hopefully teach her a lesson. His anger was quickly spent, however, and he sat back in the bed against the pillows for several minutes before speaking again.

"How's your head?" he asked.

"Achy." Adrianna replied unemotionally. "I think I'll be okay."

"Good." Hiccup said, sounding a little relieved. "We were all so terrified that you were seriously hurt. Please don't scare us all like that again."

"I' won't." Adrianna promised, secretly telling herself that this was a promise she would _definitely_ keep.

She would go on to break this promise so many times, it was laughable that those words ever escaped her mouth.

* * *

The next day, Adrianna felt well enough to take a walk outside the healer's house. The herbs Mara, the new healer, had given her were quite potent and eradicated most of the pain in her head. But all things considered, she hadn't hit it very hard at all so she was expected to recover very quickly. Erick decided to join her and the two of them strolled all the way out to Troll Bridge, which was well outside of the limitations Mara had set but neither of them cared very much and it wasn't like she would catch them anyway. Adrianna was very quiet on the walk over and, once she was seated on the bridge and dangling her legs over the water, put her chin in her hands and looked very unhappy.

"What's wrong?" Erick asked, breaking the increasingly uncomfortable silence.

"I can't win anything." Adrianna mumbled. "I try but I _can't_."

"Neither can I." said Erick nonchalantly. "Why does this matter now?"

"Because nobody likes me and I thought..." Adrianna stopped speaking and stared into the murky water below her. "It doesn't matter."

"You thought they would if you won." Erick sighed deeply. "Annie, it sometimes surprises me how someone as smart as you can be so thick."

"What?" the girl's head snapped upward and throbbed painfully. "How am I thick?"

"Annie, if they didn't like you before Thawfest, why would they like you after it?" Erick explained as if talking to a toddler.

"Because then I'd be a winner."

"But you'd still be you." Erick rolled his eyes. "And even if they _did_ like you afterward, they wouldn't be your real friends. They wouldn't like _you_ , they'd like what you can _do_."

Adrianna considered this a moment. "Still would have been nice to win."

"Annie, you shouldn't have to prove yourself." Erick turned to look at her. "Real friends don't care about what you can do. They care about you as a person." he smiled a bit. "You know I'm right."

"Yes..."

"I mean I don't like you because you can win Thawfest or anything like that." Erick leaned back on his palms and looked up at the sky, which was a vibrant blue with little clouds traveling lazily across it. "I like you because you're really smart, even if you don't think so. And..." he looked her for a moment. "...other reasons." he cleared his throat. "And I didn't win Thawfest. I never would have even if I'd competed. You know I'm terrible at that stuff."

Adrianna mimicked his pose and looked at him, taking in his small frame and skinny arms. "Okay, yeah. Probably not."

"And you wouldn't like me any better if I did." Erick added thoughtfully.

"I'd be proud of you." Adrianna admitted. "But no, I wouldn't like you _more_."

"Told you I was right." Erick nudged his best friend on the arm.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up, Blondie." Adrianna retorted with a mischievous smile.

" _Blondie_?" Erick cried indignantly. "Oy!"

"What? You're blond." Adrianna winked at him. "Why can't I draw attention to it?"

"Because it's a silly name, that's why!" Erick exclaimed.

"Then I think I'll keep it." Adrianna ruffled his hair. "Besides, it's cute."

"Don't you call me that in public." Erick narrowed his eyes at her.

"Oh, but that takes all the fun out of it!" Adrianna giggled.

"Fun for _you_ , maybe! I've got a reputation to uphold!" Erick flexed his invisible muscles. "You're going to make everyone think I'm not strong and manly."

"Since when are you _ever_ that?"

"You don't know what's going to happen! Maybe puberty will transform me into a buff, muscular, manly man!"

Adrianna snickered. "Yeah. Sure. I'll believe it when I see it."

"You hurt me with your lack of faith." Erick feigned offense, his hand over his heart.

"It's okay. Manly men aren't emotional. You'll get over it." Adrianna lightly punched him on the shoulder.

"What do you know about manly men? You're a _girl_!" Erick lightly punched her back.

"I'm a _Viking_! I know what they look like!" Adrianna stuck out her tongue. "And if you're so buff, why are you sitting here talking to a _girl_ instead of competing in Thawfest and showing off your muscles?"

Erick paused before chuckling to himself. "You got me there."

"It's okay, Blondie. I'll still be your friend even if you're the smallest, skinniest Viking in the world. I mean, you just said that's what real friends do." Adrianna looked at him and smiled, her eyes now a lot brighter than they had been over the last few weeks.

"Using my own words against me now?" Erick smiled back at her. "I told you you were smart."

Adrianna tossed her head so her bangs flew out of her eyes. "Well... maybe I did need the reminder." she suddenly threw her arms around him, catching him by surprise. "Thank you for being my friend."

Erick hugged her back, hoping that she couldn't hear his heart pounding loudly against his ribcage. "Uhh... you're welcome." he said awkwardly.

Suddenly it didn't matter what those stupid girls had said. Adrianna had a friend right there and she wasn't about to take him for granted. Of all the people who had been in her life consistently, he had never let her down. Now _that_ was true friendship.


	15. New Beginnings

Adrianna wasn't at all surprised when Finn narrowly defeated Thorein to become Thawfest champion. It wasn't his first win, after all, but it had happened in front of the Outcast tribe as well as the Hooligans so it was quite impressive. She was well enough to see his victory but she decided she didn't want to subject herself to name calling so she stayed out of the way. Naturally, Finn didn't care.

When the kerfuffle of the Thawfest games was over for the day, Erick, Olaf, Adrianna, Hiccup, and Fishlegs could all be found in Charger's pen. Fishlegs had hypothesized that the egg would hatch quite soon and none of them wanted to miss it. They had already prepared for its hatching by removing the bones from several fish and putting them out for the baby. It wasn't an ideal first meal but they had failed in their mission to find Charger a mate. He looked a bit forlorn as a result. Lily comfortingly cooed at him but he didn't respond.

"I really hope she makes it." Erick said at last, breaking the silence. "You think the fish will be enough for her?"

"We haven't tried it before, Erick." Hiccup sighed deeply. "We're just going to have to hope for the best. Besides, she's related to Charger and he's a fighter." he patted the dragon on the back.

"I know." Erick gently stroked his dragon as they waited. "I think think she'd be better off if she had a mom too."

Adrianna looked almost depressed. She had so wanted Erick to find Charger a mate but had been so preoccupied with Thawfest that she hadn't even helped him look. And now the baby Nadder had no mother at all. What if she didn't survive without the proper food?

Quite suddenly, the egg began to rattle a bit. Charger sprang to action at once, pushing it into the water filled hole they had dug and the five humans and dragons (which crowded the pen so much the other dragons had to look in through makeshift windows and Toothless through the ceiling) watched the egg eagerly. Adrianna and Erick were the most excited of all. Unlike the adults in the room, they had never seen a dragon egg hatch. They wanted to lean in and watch closely but everything they had ever heard about dragon eggs told them that this was unbelievably stupid, not to mention dangerous.

SPLASH!

A turquoise blur came shooting out of the water and landed right in front of Charger. The baby dragon uncurled her body and looked around at everyone who had been watching. She made a tiny noise in her throat.

"Aww!" Adrianna squealed. "She's so cute!"

That was certainly an accurate description. The baby Nadder had big eyes, a bright turquoise body, and a kind of manic energy. She hopped around her father, making little squeaking noises. Even the grown men were melting at the sight of this tiny dragon.

Charger leaned down and put his snout right up against the newborn's. She licked it enthusiastically. He licked her back, causing her to drip with dragon saliva. The baby didn't seem to mind; instead she hopped underneath the bigger Nadder's legs and affectionately rubbed them. Adrianna had her hands on her mouth and tiny, delighted squealing noises emanated from her throat almost of their own volition.

Fishlegs, however, seemed excited for an entirely different reason. "My hypothesis was correct!" he exclaimed. "You _can_ tell the gender of an unborn dragon by studying the egg!"

"You've tried this before?" Hiccup asked, eyebrow raised.

"On a few of Meatlug's. But apparently it's universal!" Fishlegs took out the Dragon Book, which still looked almost brand new, and jotted down some notes. "This is the best day ever!"

"I wonder if dragons can tell what a baby's going to be before it's born." Adrianna pondered but went unnoticed. Her mind now overwhelmed with curiosity, she decided to try to find out on her own.

A loud hacking sound distracted everyone from the baby or the Dragon Book. Adrianna looked up and found her dragon apparently choking on something. Hiccup stared at the Monstrous Nightmare, eyebrows furrowed with concentration. It almost looked like she was...

Lily suddenly lowered her head and regurgitated a pile of the half digested fish she had eaten for dinner not long before all over the floor in front of the newborn. Everyone's eyes widened in shock. The little Nadder was tentative at first but slowly crept toward the pile, eyes on the strange dragon who suddenly seemed to want to feed her. Rather than eat right away, she approached Lily, cooing quietly. Lily made a few cooing noises in response before gently nuzzling the baby for a moment. She then pushed the little Nadder toward the food.

Hiccup and Fishlegs were nearly beside themselves with excitement. "Oh my- did you see that... but... Lily _adopted_ her!" Hiccup was shouting, nearly hopping up and down.

"And they're not even the same species!" Fishlegs added with a gigantic grin. "Hiccup, do you know what this means?"

"No, but it's so awesome!" Hiccup replied; he wished that he could stand up and approach the little dragon but reluctantly remembered the healer's instructions about staying seated.

"This means we can put orphaned baby dragons with any dragon willing to take them in and not limit it to species!" Fishlegs laughed out loud. "Think of how many lives we could save! We could go to the hatching island every Snoggletog and retrieve all abandoned babies!"

"Dragon Book!" Hiccup nearly yelled. "Fishlegs, give me the dragon book!"

Fishlegs tossed the book to Hiccup, who caught it. The chief of the Hooligans was shaking with excitement as he wrote this new information in the back of the book. Olaf was looking between the two men and laughing uproariously.

"Nothing has changed." he told Erick and Adrianna, who had now fixed their confused expressions on him. "Those two used to stay up late in the Great Hall talking about all things dragons before their parents dragged them home."

"That doesn't surprise me." Erick remarked with a smirk as he watched the two men act almost like teenagers again. He turned to his best friend. "So Annie... you okay with our dragons raising a baby together?"

"Are you kidding? Bring her over any time you want!" Adrianna threw her arms around her dragon. "You are the most amazing dragon in the whole world, Lily!" she then looked down at the Nadder, who seemed to have eaten her fill. "Erick, hey, did you ever come up with a name?"

"Well I went down to the library and flipped through a few books. I like the name Signa." Erick shrugged. "If that's okay with you."

"I like it." Adrianna replied. "Hi, Signa. I'm your mommy's human."

Signa nipped her finger affectionately before hopping back to her father. Lily pulled her head from the window and sauntered into the pen, lying across from Charger. The older dragons made little noises at each other.

"I think that's our cue to leave." Hiccup said at last. "Good luck, Charger." he scratched the Nadder's chin. "Having a daughter isn't easy."

Adrianna, who was talking excitedly to Erick about what they were going to do as far as feeding and taking turns to fly, didn't hear his comment.

* * *

After Adrianna's mishap, the girl didn't return to watch any of the games. She sat down in the library and listened to the cheering outside the window. She wasn't paying any attention to it, however. She was completely focused on making up an ending to the story she had been telling Matilda.

"One day, as he was flying over a strange island on his dragon, the escapologist saw a tiny little hut in the middle of the woods. He might have missed it but... the acrobat's sister wasn't very good at building and some of it was falling in. He decided to fly down and help." She mimed flying downwards on a dragon. "The evil sister was out looking for food and when the escapologist heard the sound of his daughter's tears, he smashed the door open! He embraced his little girl at last."

Matilda threw her arms into the air and cheered. "How great! So there _is_ a happy ending!"

Adrianna decided to continue. "'Have I been so wrapped up in my grief for my wife that I have forgotten the one thing that mattered to us most? I love you so much, my daughter. I shall spend the rest of my life making it up to you. We shall be together forever.'" she finally smiled. Though this was a false ending to the story, she was getting quite into it anyway. "But then the escapologist's thoughts turned to the acrobat's sister and a mighty rage grew inside his great heart! 'This demon! This villain! This monster! She has sullied the memory of my wife! She has betrayed the trust of her own sister! She has shown cruelty to the most precious reality of my marriage! Bullying children is her game is it? Well let us see what this creature thinks she can do when the wrath of a grown man stands before her!' And so, telling his little girl he would be right back, he went to find the acrobat's sister. When he did find her, no one knows exactly what happened, only that she was never seen again."

Matilda leaned forward. "And what about the little girl?"

"The escapologist went back to the hut and the little girl leaped into his arms. Because they had found each other." Adrianna smiled widely. "Yes, they had found each other."

"So... this... this is the ending, yes?" Matilda looked at Adrianna critically. "You're not going to tell me something terrible happened next, are you?"

"Ms. Matilda, why would I do that?" Adrianna smirked. "Most stories have a happy ending if you wait long enough."

"Yes, but you seem to like to throw sad, sad things into your stories." Matilda stood up and put her hands on Adrianna's shoulders. "It is not bad to make your stories sad once in a while. But a good writer doesn't stick to the sad and the depressing for too long, just as they don't stick to the happy and cheerful for too long. A good story has to make your audience laugh and cry. That, child, is what keeps them coming back."

"Yes. It does, doesn't it?" Adrianna frowned. "But I'm afraid my next story doesn't have a happy ending at all."

"Well whether the ending is happy or sad, I will always want to listen." Matilda said enthusiastically. "Have you ever thought about telling your stories to younger children?"

Adrianna considered this for a moment. "Once in a while. Do you think I could?"

"Absolutely. You are so creative." Matilda walked away and began to search for something on the shelf.

"Yes, I suppose... but I'd have to put in more funny bits. Kids aren't as serious as grown-ups and they love to laugh." she furrowed her brow, deep in thought.

"You know, I never thought of it that way but you're right." Matilda laughed. "Now, where did I... you see, a new shipment of books came in and I found a book you might like... oh here it is." she took a large, thick book off the shelf. "I think you and your father liked its sequel, yes?"

"Another spaceman book?" Adrianna squealed with excitement. "The one daddy and I were reading was a sequel? Hmm... that actually explains a few things..."

"Yes. I'm told that the author is working on a third book too. Now go on, take it. I read a few pages of it last night and it's absolutely fantastic." Matilda handed the large book to Adrianna, who stumbled a bit as she took on its weight. It was quite a bit longer than the last. "Oh and you can keep it but please let me read it when you're finished."

"Will do, Ms. Matilda." Adrianna wanted to hug her older friend but the book's weight made this impossible. "And thank you."

As the girl walked out of the library, looking rather silly carrying such a big book, Ms. Matilda chuckled to herself. "No, Adrianna, thank _you_."

* * *

The final day of Thawfest fell upon them. Adrianna had avoided the games as much as possible but, on a whim, she decided to go to the last award ceremony for the youngest competitors. The ceremony went off without a hitch but it was when Hiccup was presenting the medal to the winner of the six-year-old girl's competition that things got interesting.

The winner, of course, was Inga Jorgenson. She stood tall (or at least as tall as it is possible for a small child to stand) between her parents as Hiccup placed the medal around her neck.

"I am so proud of you, Inga." Hiccup said with a small smile. "You did a really good job without cheating."

"Hey! Are you implying that Jorgensons cheat?" Snotlout asked indignantly.

"Of course not!" Hiccup laughed. "No, Jorgensons are just that good."

The crowd cheered for the Jorgenson girl, who beamed with pride. Snotlout and Heather were feeling quite proud of themselves as well.

"Oh, Snotlout, there's one other thing I wanted to mention." Hiccup tapped his friend on the shoulder.

Snotlout whirled around. "Look, I told you, she didn't cheat, she's been prac-"

SMACK!

Snotlout stumbled backward as Hiccup's open palm collided with his face. A light red hand print began to form on his cheek as he tripped and fell off the platform. The audience howled with laughter and the Thorston twins cheered loudly. Snotlout glared daggers at Hiccup.

"That's one." Hiccup said delightedly.

Finn, who had not been told about his father's little wager with Snotlout, was both appalled and highly amused. Both he and Benen had to be filled in by Ruffnut and Tuffnut as to why this had happened. Once Benen knew the context, even he joined in the laughter. He had decided long ago that he would only laugh at someone else's mishap if the person who had gone through it laughed or smiled along and Snotlout gave the crowd a sheepish but slightly amused smile before hopping off the platform and walking off with his wife and daughter, who were both wiping tears of mirth out of their eyes.

Once the ceremony was over, the Hooligans and Outcasts were invited to the end-of-Thawfest banquet in the Great Hall. Before Hiccup could hobble away after his people on crutches, Allie the Insincere grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back so violently, the Hooligan chief nearly fell over.

"What-"

"How dare you interrupt the ceremony with your petty spat! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Allie snarled angrily.

"Because Thor forbid anyone actually laugh." Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Don't get smart with me!" Allie grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down so he was closer to her height. He was beginning to regret not wearing his flight suit today. "The only reason we're allies is because of your father and my uncle. Now I don't have any reason to go to war with you but one wrong move and our alliance is finished."

"For slapping one of my own people across the face? Allie, come on, it wasn't even unprovoked! We had a slap bet-"

"I don't care! For once in your life, act like an adult!" Allie released him. "I'm warning you, Hiccup, you're on thin ice."

Hiccup glared at Allie as she strutted off, clearly pleased with herself. Astrid came up behind him, looking suspiciously at the other woman.

"What did she want?"

"Apparently she wants to become enemies again." Hiccup sighed deeply. "And after all this, I almost agree with her. At least Alvin, for all his faults, was sincere in his hatred for my father while their feud lasted."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Hiccup." Astrid patted his arm. "We've fought the Outcasts before and we can fight them again if need be."

* * *

Finn was famished. He wasn't sure why that was, since he'd eaten a decent sized lunch mere hours before, but he loaded his plate both with Hooligan and Outcast dishes before deciding to sit, not with the other boys, but with Benen. The elderly man smiled at him as he seated himself on the bench and began to eat.

"Think you've got enough?" Benen asked with an amused expression.

"I'm hungry." Finn said through a slightly full mouth. "I was out with the boys all afternoon."

"Well far be it from me to come between you and a full plate of food." Benen shook his head, still smiling. "Though you might want to slow down. It's not going anywhere and you'll choke if you keep eating that fast."

Finn looked down at his plate, chewed on a particularly stubborn piece of mutton, and swallowed. "Right, yeah. Mom's always saying that."

There was a long pause as the boy took the man's advice and slowed down to enjoy his meal rather than practically inhale it. Benen looked at his closest Berkian friend and, for the first time, noticed that his shoulders were broadening. His arms, which were exposed because the Great Hall was quite hot with so many people, even had a bit of developing muscle. The little boy Benen had met three years ago was slowly growing up. He wasn't there yet and he wouldn't be for quite a long while, but it was happening. Soon his voice would change and he would begin to grow very quickly. He would probably be taller than Benen one day. Actually, judging by the stories he had heard, Finn would almost certainly be taller than Hiccup what with the Stoick genes so prominent in his appearance and behavior.

Benen hadn't noticed these changes while they were happening. On some level he supposed he did because it didn't surprise him. Having never gotten the chance to be a parent himself, the older man had sort of adopted the Haddocks and loved them all very much. But as Finn began to grow up and enter the transition between childhood and adulthood, Benen realized that he would also be growing older. One day his muscles would weaken and he would have to leave Finn and the Haddocks to continue on their own. He glanced over at Adrianna, who was sitting across from Erick and animatedly talking to him. The Haddocks had made him feel needed for the first time in a long time. But he wondered just how long it would last and if he would even live to see it.

"What are you thinking about?" Finn asked, pulling Benen out of his thoughts.

"Oh, this and that." Benen smiled and shook his head the tiniest bit to clear it. "I'm thinking about writing something, that's all. Been a long time since I had the freedom to do something creative."

"What are you going to write about?" Finn leaned in and placed his hand on his chin.

"I haven't quite decided." Benen sighed deeply. "I think I know how it begins. But the ending is always the hardest part to write. You see, stories never end. They just change and begin again. Like my story didn't end when I was taken from my home and it certainly didn't end when I was freed. But as for the story, I'm hoping that its ending will be meaningful and that I will have taught someone something."

"Well you don't have to write a story to teach people." Finn chuckled. "You teach me loads of stuff."

"Yes, I suppose I do, don't I?" Benen considered this for a moment. "But it can't hurt to teach a few more lessons, now can it?"

"Nope." Finn paused, his eyes slowly turning back to his food. "How come you're always right?"

"Because there was once a time when I was always wrong. And through being wrong, I learned what was right." Benen's smile widened when Finn looked back up at him. "You know, Inga has an incredible aim when it comes to the axe throwing. I certainly wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her."

"Yeah, she _was_ good. But Colt's archery was amazing." Finn's head snapped up with interested.

And so the boy and the man talked about the goings on of the day. Finn loved talking about the games and Benen loved talking to Finn. He really was growing into a fine young man.

Several tables over, Adrianna and Erick were engaging in a very interesting discussion.

"If Signa eats when we eat, I don't think we'll both have to sacrifice our dragons for too long." Erick was saying. "Maybe we could go for a flight together to teach her how to fly."

"That would be great!" Adrianna leaned forward, her elbows on the table and her manners completely forgotten. Nyssa, who was attempting to lie in her lap, made an irritated growl at being disturbed. "I think she's going to be a great flier too. She's already really hard to catch on land. She'll probably be faster than both Charger and Lil-"

Adrianna was interrupted by Dana, who bumped into her so hard, she nearly fell into her food. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the other girls' shrill laughter as they walked away.

Erick sighed deeply as he watched them crowd around a table. "Aren't you going to tell someone about them? What they're doing to you isn't right. Your dad would be really mad if he knew."

"I don't want to tell him." Adrianna shook her head vehemently and scratched her Terrible Terror behind the ears. "He always saves me. But I'm old enough to save myself now, like I should have done before."

"Are you saying you don't trust him?" Erick leaned in and fixed a suspicious glare on her.

She recoiled slightly. "I'm saying that I don't want to tell him. And you shouldn't either."

"Annie..."

"You're my best friend in the world, Erick. Come on, let me handle this. Please?" Adrianna widened her eyes so that she looked irresistibly adorable.

"Ohh..." Erick wanted to shut his eyes but she was _so_ distracting. "Fine."

Allie the Insincere, who was seated on an elevated platform, stood up and waved her arms for silence. "Hooligans and Outcasts, this has been a wonderful Thawfest. We've had winners from both tribes and we've hopefully made new friends." Adrianna glanced over at Dana and sat lower in her chair. "I would like to propose a toast to our alliance and to peace between our tribes."

She and hundreds of other Vikings raised their cups and drank. Well, almost all of them did. Allie let out a shriek of indignation as wine dribbled down the front of her shirt through tiny holes that had been poked in her goblet. Adrianna smiled triumphantly and looked over at her father, who seemed too busy laughing to care about the angry looks he was getting from several Outcasts.

Hiccup didn't stop laughing until the Great Hall was once again filled with the sounds of many conversations. He had dearly needed the laugh. Astrid leaned over and put her head on his shoulder.

"It's getting late." she said sleepily. "How long do we have to be here?"

Hiccup put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "We can sneak out when the crowd dies down a bit. Outcasts'll probably want to pack for the trip back tomorrow."

"It's going to be nice not having them around." Astrid said thoughtfully. "Is it wrong of me to say that?"

"No, I completely agree. We are never doing this again." Hiccup stifled a yawn. "It's too exhausting." he glanced at Tarry, whose hair was dark brown again. "Though whoever was pulling those pranks deserves his own medal. That was brilliant and it certainly kept us from getting bored."

"Yes it was." Astrid snuggled into his arm. "I just want to go to bed."

"A few more minutes, Astrid." Hiccup gently placed his head atop hers. "I am so glad this is almost over."

"Well we learned a lot." now Astrid was yawning. "Like that our kids are growing up and have stopped listening to authority."

"Why do kids have to grow up?" Hiccup asked sadly. "They were so cute when they were tiny."

"Yes, when they weren't getting themselves caught in netter traps or running naked through the village, they were perfect." Astrid chuckled.

"Hey now, that was just once and they ended up being okay." Hiccup lightly nudged his dozing wife. "But really... they won't be kids much longer. Maybe we should tell them more than that they're going to eventually grow up and get awkward."

"Not tonight." Astrid whispered.

"I wasn't talking about tonight. But they really are getting to about that age when they're going to need to know what to expect." Hiccup gently rubbed Astrid's shoulder. "They grow up so fast."

"Yeah they do." Astrid muttered. "But that's just the next adventure."

And as Hiccup watched both his children talking animatedly to their closest friends, he decided that his wife was right. True, their childhood was nearly over. But that didn't mean it was the end. Because as Benen had said to Finn, stories don't always have endings, just new beginnings.

* * *

_This is Berk._

_Each and every Viking who lives here is his or her own person. No two people are alike. Differences are what make us unique, what makes life interesting._

_Unfortunately, some people are even more different than others. As some scramble and fight their way to the top, others fall behind and are forgotten._

_But once in a while, those rejects are strong enough to fight back. While others may be competing for recognition, they are evening the playing field. And so you could say that this is why they're every bit as important as those who naturally know how to get ahead._

_Life may not be easy for those who differ from most everyone else. But that's what makes it an adventure. And with enough intelligence and cunning, they can definitely change their own stories._

* * *

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this story, co-written by EmmerzK. Please don't forget to leave a comment!

**Author's Note:**

> Story inspired by Matilda by Roald Dahl and its musical counterpart by Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin.


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